


The Consort of the Crying

by Straumoy



Category: Power Girl (Comics)
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Sex, F/M, High School, MILFs, POV Third Person Limited, Smut, Vanilla Kink, alternative universe, superhero
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-16 14:58:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 86,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4629552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Straumoy/pseuds/Straumoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Douglas Sutherland is an average teenager, lulling through a normal life in quiet West Point, Kentucky. Getting saved by Power Girl from a freak accident, he suddenly finds himself stranded alone after the passing of his mother until Karen Starr becomes his legal guardian. When Douglas learns that Karen and Power Girl are one and the same, two lonely and vulnerable people seek comfort and intimacy from one another. Though as the saying goes; the road to hell is paved with good intentions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: While fairly confident in my writing skills, English isn't my main language. So expect typos and grammatical errors to show their ugly heads on occasion. If you spot one or more that is particular bad, please let me know and I'll fix it.

Douglas loaded in the last few shopping bags into the back of the car before closing the trunk with a thump. He and his mother had been out at the big shopping mall stacking up some extra supplies as there was a big storm coming in over the weekend. Chances were that the roads and electricity would be badly damaged, local authorities had recommended that people should stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. In all honesty, Douglas was quite worried about how the weekend storm would play out as their house was close to the river. If it decided to flood or otherwise act up, they didn't have much of a buffer to go on. Douglas mother initially shared his worries and they seriously considered evacuating, but when Power Girl released an official statement that she'd be present both before, during and after the storm to assist in any way possible, Douglas' mother calmed down and decided against evacuating.

“Ready honey?” His mother called over the wind that was starting to pick up.

“Yeah, we're good mom.” Douglas replied, taking a small pause to look up at the dark gray clouds swirling high over them before he entered the car. 

Putting on his seat belt, Douglas took a seat in the back. As the assistant school librarian he'd stumbled over a real treasure when looking for books to buy for the library. If the seller was to be trusted, this was a real life grimoire. According to the seller the book's existence was first rumored around the 12th century, and it was said to be owned by the Knights Templar, one of the most famous armies in medieval Europe. They used the power of the tome to gain wealth and glory. After they were condemned as heretics and murdered, the French king Philip IV and Pope Clement V took the book for themselves, but were unable to discover the secrets of the Templar, who had used the power of the book to foresee their demise. After that, the book passed down from hand to hand for centuries, eventually landing in the hands of Douglas Sutherland. 

The large tome had sturdy black leather trimmings and was filled with B5-size yellowed and stained pages made of parchment. Depicted on the moldy and worn cover was a white hexagram symbol, the Star of David, crossed by a sword. A metal chain with the same symbol was wrapped around the thick cover to hold it shut. There was a strange unidentified black ink drawing on the flyleaf. Inside the book were multiple drawings of geometric talisman shapes and several more bizarre illustrations, like acts of copulation and monstrous drawings of animals and humans. The text was handwritten in several different languages, mostly Latin and French, but also Hebrew, Greek and Gaelic. There were numerous religious quotes and passages from the Christian Gospel. The book's table of contents lists, among others; All Spells, Summoning Demons and Raising the Dead. 

Chances were that the school would never let such a book be added to the library, though in that case Douglas would simply give the school the money he spent on buying it and add it to his own personal collection. Ever since he gotten his hands on the book, Douglas had been unable to put it down despite the fact that he could not make out a word of what it said. He'd been mulling over the book, taking notes and copying drawings during the drive to the shopping mall, eager to resume where he'd left off now that they'd be driving back. As they drove off towards home, one particular drawing stood out and caught Douglas' eye. It was a charm of sorts, involving drawing a talisman on a piece of paper. It had the shape of a triangle formed from lines and the names of gods. Around the circle, a passage written in Latin that read: _Benedixitque illis Deus, et dixit ad eos: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subjicite eam._ Copying the drawing and respective text as best he could, Douglas held it up and was quite pleased with the end result. Quite the spitting image of the original if he may say so himself. It was then that he noticed that they'd taken a different route on their way home. 

“Mom? Why are we taking the long way around?” He asked. 

“You didn't see the traffic jam sweetie? Oh man, that was one for the books.” His mother chuckled. “I figured it was better to keep moving the long way rather than getting stuck taking the short way.” 

That did make sense Douglas thought to himself, slumping back in his seat. Everyone in town would either be heading to or from the mall in a last ditch effort to stock up on supplies. If traffic was terrible on the main road, they could double back and spend the night at the nearby small hotel. The wind started picking up and rain decided to start splashing down like there was no tomorrow without a warning. Douglas silently hoped that the weather would be bad now so that they'd have a nice, sunny and warm summer. Turning his attention back to his book, Douglas figured he could give it a shot to translate the Latin text on the charm he just copied. Before he could get started however, there was a loud bang and the car jerked violently from left to right before it stopped brutally and sharply swung around to the right. The crash was so sudden that Douglas got thrown out of the car and was mere inches away from splashing into a river when his fall was softly cushioned before he found himself floating over the water in a gentle embrace. 

“Are you alright?” A voice above him asked. 

Looking up and shifting around a little bit, Douglas realized that Power Girl held him in her arms, hoovering over the river as the wind whipped her red cape about and the rain kept pouring down. Her sharply blue eyes didn't blink or flicker despite the weather throwing a tantrum around her, though her blond hair was soaked and occasionally shifted under random gusts of wind. 

“Y-yeah... I'm fine, I guess.” Douglas managed to squeeze out, trying to get his bearings.

“What's your name?” Power Girl asked as she started to glide over to the river bank. 

“D-Douglas. Uhm.. Douglas Sutherland, ma'am.” He mumbled out, realizing that he was shaking. Whether it was from the crash or the cold rain he could not tell, but it was not getting any better. 

“Okay Douglas, you're going to be alright, but I want you to listen to me.” Power Girl said calmly, making a soft landing on the side of the road and putting Douglas back on his feet. Placing her glove clad hands on his shoulders, she looked him dead in the eye and said with a calm, yet serious tone of voice: “Go back down the road, there's a cafe on your left hand side. Get them to call 911, tell the operator what has happened. Can you do that for me Douglas?” 

“My mother! Sh-she's... I'm..!” Douglas stammered, shock was setting in. 

“I'll take care of it, now go!” Power Girl said, reassuringly if not a little commanding. 

Clenching his hands into trembling fists, Douglas turned on his heel and ran to the cafe as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn't notice the paper charm in his right hand or the blood he'd spilled on it while his lunges burned and the rain felt like ice daggers taking stabs at his face. The road seemed to go on forever, his glasses fogged up and was drenched with rain, obscuring his view. It felt as if the elements themselves decided to work against him in every way possible. Long, strong gusts of wind tried their hardest to push Douglas backwards or at the very least slow down his progress as much as possible. Despite this he pressed on, adrenaline started to kick in and it felt like he was about to tear down the front door to the cafe when he finally opened it. 

“Help! Somebody! There's been an accident!” Douglas shouted out the moment he came through the door, stopping a few steps into the cafe to bend down and gasp for air. 

Customers and employees alike flocked around him, offered him a seat and asked him what the ruckus was about. Still trembling and shaking like a leaf, Douglas explained what had happened a few moments ago between deep breaths. One of the employees, possibly the owner, picked up the phone and dialed 911, passing on all information to the operator. Several other customers decided to brave the increasingly bad weather to offer assistance, while a few others offered Douglas some warm drink along with fresh towels so he could get somewhat dried up. 

Douglas remained at the cafe while he waited for word. It didn't take too long before he could hear sirens wailing not too far away from the cafe. The customers that had gone out to help returned soaking wet along with a couple of police officers. They informed Douglas that as far as they could tell it was one of the tires that suddenly exploded that was the cause of the crash. Douglas learned that Power Girl managed to get his mother out of the car, though because of the crash had landed the car in the river she'd been under water for a while before Power Girl got to her. Her condition was critical and unstable, so she was rushed to the hospital and the officers offered to take Douglas to her. This was how the last day in April became one of the worst days in Douglas' life.


	2. Guardian Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Power Girl acts as an guardian angel towards Douglas Sutherland while his mother hangs between life and death. Douglas' mother eventually dies in the hospital, with Power Girl offering comfort and consultation. He uses Power Girl for masturbation material as a coping mechanism.

Once the storm had passed, Douglas reluctantly decided to leave the hospital to go home and get cleaned up. He had hardly slept, eaten or washed himself since the crash. His mother had been rushed to surgery where to doctors managed to improve her condition somewhat, though they were not overly optimistic about her chances. At the same time they urged him to get some rest and freshen up, promising to keep him updated on any changes. With no drivers license, let alone a car, Douglas was forced to rely on taxi to get home. Buses were out of the question as the storm had taken a big chunk out of the bus central, wrecking havoc on nearly all the buses parked there. Heading down to the first floor, Douglas asked in the reception if he could borrow a phone. 

“I'm sorry sir, we seem to have some problems with the phone lines because of the storm.” The nurse at the desk said apologetically. “Currently only the intercom is working.” 

“Just my luck. My cellphone is at the bottom of some river. Any chance I can borrow yours?” Douglas asked. 

“I'm very sorry sir, but since this is a hospital we have a strict policy regarding cellphone use. You could try the payphones outside on the parking lot. I think they are on a separate line.” The nurse suggested to Douglas. 

Thanking for her time, Douglas headed out to the parking lot and found the payphones, only to discover that even these didn't have a dialing tone when he listened in on the phone handle. Feeling like he was at the end of his rope, Douglas slammed the handle back on the hook, angry at the world that for some reason refused to cut him some slack. The sound of something fluttering in the wind, like a piece of cloth or a flag, caught his ear and as he turned around he saw Power Girl hoovering a good 10-12 feet over the parking lot, looking down on him. There was something about the look in her blue eyes that made Douglas feel uncomfortable and awkward. The two of them stood like this for a long moment, before Power Girl decided to make a gentle landing and walked up to Douglas. With each step she took Douglas could not help notice that the top of her large breasts jiggled around like domes of jelly within the confines of her costume. 

“Hey there, how's it going?” She asked when she stopped a few steps away from Douglas, resting her right hand on her hip. 

“Uh... not so good to be honest.” Douglas replied, his glance shifting around nervously as the last thing he wanted now was unwanted attention. 

“Yeah...” Power Girl sighed sadly. “I'm sorry Douglas. For what it is worth, I'm really sorry.” Her face sank down with a clouded sad look as her voice rang with honest sympathy for Douglas' situation. 

“You remember my name? Wow, I guess I must have made an impression or something.” Douglas said sheepishly. 

“You could say that.” Power Girl said with half a smile on her lips. “I just wished we'd met under better circumstances.” She added, the look in her eyes turned sad and distant. Feeling the mood getting more depressed, Douglas figured he better say something to ease the atmosphere. 

“Uh... it's not like I blame you or anything. I'm sure you did everything you could.” Douglas lurked out, feeling it was wrong to take out his overtired frustrations on Power Girl. He was just one, one of many people that Power Girl had save over the weekend, not to mention her entire career. The fruits of her efforts should not be rotten, Douglas thought to himself. It could lead to her quitting her heroic exploits and the world would take a sharp turn for the worse should that ever happen. 

“Listen, it might not be in my place, but you should get some rest.” Power Girl started of carefully. She looked down and to her left, avoiding looking straight at Douglas. To Douglas Power Girl looked so fragile, scared and sad. It was not something he'd normally associate with the Mistress of Might, who'd normally charge ahead brimming with confidence, bravery and courage. Normal folks like Douglas turned to Power Girl when the going got though and she would in turn inspire them to keep on going. It was strange to see her appear so powerless, helpless even. 

“The doctors and nurses tell me the same thing.” Douglas said, forcing a smile. “Who am I to disobey the doctors orders, right?” He tried to laugh, but it came out as a false, weak front. The whole thing made him feel even more pathetic. 

“Say, you wouldn't have any trouble getting home or anything?” Power Girl asked, looking up with hints of hope shining in her eyes. There was something about her voice and eyes that gave Douglas the impression that she wanted to be of use to him or that she wanted to make it better somehow. 

“Actually...” Douglas started, pointing his thumb over his shoulder and at the payphones. “I was going to call a taxi, but the phones are out.” 

“Yeah, I heard that some telephone equipment got flooded in the storm.” Power Girl said. “I flew over to Asheville to pick up some spare parts. Things should be back to normal by tomorrow afternoon I think.” 

“You wouldn't happen to have a cellphone that I could borrow?” As Douglas asked, he got this weird mental image of Power Girl fishing out a cellphone out of her cleavage. It made sense, sort of. As far as he could tell Power Girl's low-cut form-fitting white bodysuit didn't appear to have any pockets sewed into it. With no apparent pockets along the long sleeves with stirrup hands, nor on the side of the mock turtleneck, that kind of left him with the iconic shallow oval hole positioned at the center of her chest. Still it was also a sure tell sign that he was very tired and long overdue for some proper rest. 

“No, I'm afraid not. I can give you a lift though.” Power Girl offered, her worried face melting away to a faint smile. 

“Oh, oh no. I mean, thanks for the offer but...” Douglas started, loosing trail of his words. “You... what I'm trying to get across is that it be wrong of me to use you like a glorified taxi.” 

“Not at all. Helping out people is what I do.” Power Girl shrugged as if it didn't bother her the slightest. “You've had a rough couple of days and you deserve some slack. Just give me directions and I promise I won't drop you.” 

Despite he suspected that he'd get some flak for it later down the line, Douglas caved in and accepted Power Girl's offer. She picked him up much like a princess and they had a smooth lift off. Resting in her arms, Douglas got very conscious over their difference in height; Power Girl was like a small giant with her height at a flat 6' compared to Douglas' rather unimpressive 5'10''. Once they were up in the air, Douglas asked Power Girl to fly north, north-east towards the Ohio river. Seeing the town from above was a little disorienting at first, but during the gentle flight Douglas started to get his bearings and recognized various landmarks. From there he was able to give Power Girl more specific directions as well as telling her which house to keep an eye for. Power Girl's telescopic vision came in very handy since it allowed her to spot Douglas' house for afar even after only a rather vague description of it. 

The flight itself was short and very soothing. Douglas had no idea of the peace and tranquility one could experience just a few hundred feet above ground. He reasoned this was a great way for Power Girl to unwind and catch a breather in an otherwise very hectic lifestyle. Though all the tranquility in the world could not keep Douglas mind of what he quite literally had in his lap; Power Girls voluptuous bosom rested heavily in his lap, making his cock hard as a rod of iron and poking against the inner side of Power Girl's breasts. He felt like dying over a thousand times in embarrassment, however he found some faint comfort when he stole a few glances at Power Girl's face. It was possible that she was so busy flying, similar to how one is busy or focused on driving, that she didn't notice. Douglas was a little concerned that if she did notice, her face did not show it, though secretly hoped that she simply didn't care. 

“Here we go, home sweet home.” Power Girl said as she slowly turned from a horizontal orientation to a vertical one while descending down to the ground, the soles of her boots tickling the wet grass outside Douglas' house. Carefully she let Douglas out of her arms and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he was quick to get a few steps between them as well as facing away from her in an effort to hide his raging boner. 

“Thanks for the lift ma'am. It was nice.” Douglas mumbled while trying to adjust his pants as discreetly as possible. 

“It was no trouble Douglas, no trouble at all.” Power Girl said and Douglas could practically hear the smile on her face as she said it. 

Douglas bid Power Girl a good evening and headed inside his home. Locking the front door, he headed straight for the bathroom and took a long warm shower, washing away a good chunk of his fatigue. Spanking clean, Douglas walked around the house in nothing but his glasses and boxers. His thin and flimsy 5'10'' tall frame was not exactly something the ladies would swoon over, nor would his glasses and unstylish brown haircut make any panties fly off into high orbit around the planet. The only thing Douglas had going for him was that he could get one hell of a tan for virtually no effort at all, something his mother really envied him. Standing in the middle of the living room, memories of his mother washed over him and Douglas stood quietly in tears, his sobs chasing away the silence that lingered all around him. 

Having calmed down, Douglas got some fruit from the kitchen and tried to eat it in an effort to have at least something in his stomach. It didn't taste bad, but not good either. The fruit just ended up as a soggy mass in his mouth that no matter how much he chewed on it, it didn't feel ready to be swallowed just yet. Eventually Douglas forced it down and washed it further down with a glass of water. With that out of the way, he decided to hit the bed to get some sleep. After nearly an hour of just laying in bed, too tired to be awake and too awake to fall asleep, Douglas closed his eyes and reached down to his cock. The blackness behind his eyelids were his silver screen, his memories of Power Girl were his film reel and his mind was his film studio. Douglas traced back through today's memories to the first meeting with Power Girl at the parking lot. 

In his fantasy world his fatigue and shitty circumstances were carefully edited out. Douglas focused shamelessly on Power Girl's massive boobs and the way they jiggled around inside her chest window. He amplified the jiggling effect by adjusting Power Girl's walk, now she wiggled her ass a lot more, tilting her hips with every step. The end result was a real feast for the eyes, one that fantasy Douglas leered at lustfully. Power Girl's worried and sad facial expression was swiftly replaced with an erotic, lust starved smile. 

“You wouldn't happen to have a cellphone that I could borrow?” Fantasy Douglas asked, brimming with a cocky confidence as he knew exactly what would happen next. 

“I do!” Power Girl beamed as a giddily fan girl standing in front of her greatest idol. “But I can't reach it!” She added, with a super fake, sad pout. Power Girl leaned forward, giving fantasy Douglas a great view down her cleavage. 

“Whelp, there's no helping now is there?” Fantasy Douglas said as he rubbed his hands and licked his lips. 

“I guess not!” Power Girl giggled like an air-headed fan girl with a super happy grin on her face. 

Fantasy Douglas dived in between Power Girl's massive breasts with his right hand. Power Girl moaned and groaned loud enough to put most porn stars to shame every time Douglas' hand shifted around or his fingers moved. The cellphone was one elusive little shit, though it was all playing out as Douglas wanted it. His fantasy self resorted to using his left hand on Power Girl's under boobs to try to push the cellphone closer to his right hand that was fumbling inside her cleavage. This sent Power Girl to new level of ecstasy, making her run her fingers through her hair while thrusting her chest up and forward. 

“Stand still you Kryptonian Bombshell.” Fantasy Douglas half scolded Power Girl. 

“But...! Your touch feels SO GOOD!” Power Girl's voice was more of a sensual roar than anything else. 

Finally fantasy Douglas managed to fish out the cellphone that had eluded him for so long. The sudden removal of his hand sent Power Girl straight to a climax strong enough to make her knees buckle and fail. As fantasy Douglas started dialing for a taxi, Power Girl sat on her knees and ass at his feet, her face a drooling mess of senseless bliss. Noticing the bulge in his pants, Power Girl helped herself to his cock, splattering the chest window on her costume with saliva as she coated fantasy Douglas' cock over and over again. While focusing on fucking Power Girl's mouth pussy, real world Douglas creamed out a load that felt unusually satisfying. However once the after glow started fading, Douglas felt a mixture of guilt and dirtiness. 

The next morning, school resumed and while Douglas was very hesitant to attend, he decided to go to school in an effort to prevent drowning in a pool of depressed helplessness. Besides the school administration was notorious for being unsympathetic and generally speaking having ice water in their veins. Douglas sported his usual outfit; bright brown pants, plain white short armed shirt with a green sleeveless sweater on top. While it wasn't unheard of that he had breakfast alone, today it was extra difficult. He had to take a few pauses to keep from crying, for he knew if he started crying now he'd be unable to stop until he was out of tears. Not really feeling at the top of his game and hoping the day would pass on without incident, Douglas finished the dishes and walked to school. 

Thankfully the school was just 3 blocks away and the weather was not to shabby either. It was after all the 5th of May already and spring seemed to have come in with full force. Last weekends storm was the dying breath of last years rough weathered winter, good riddance to that. As Douglas walked down the street he took in the familiar surroundings and noticed things had changed because of the storm. A lot of minor tree branches and twigs were scattered over the street, some of the stone tiles on the house roofs were either out of place or flat out missing, garden furniture had been blown from one garden to the next and there was even a bedroom window that had cracks in it. Douglas figured that by the time he would be heading back home from school, the same street would be buzzing with people cleaning things up. For now though, they were either still asleep, having their breakfast or getting organized before the big clean up. 

“Doug! My man! How's it going bro?” Eddie Kaplin called out merrily from behind, closing in on Douglas on his red bike. 

Eddie was more or less the loud clown of the class, with his jet black hair, always a little scruffy, bright brown shirt casually buttoned up and never really tucked into his pants. His pants were more often than not dirty to some extent. Douglas and Eddie went way back, the two were often referred to as the dynamic duo by teachers and fellow classmates. While Douglas was on the quiet and somewhat introverted side of things, Eddie was on the other side of the scale; just a tad too loud and quite extroverted. Still the two of them had hit it off pretty much from day one way back at elementary school. More often than not Douglas found himself acting like a break to Eddie's occasionally wild ideas or escapades, something Eddie was very grateful of. It was not unusual for Eddie to think things over after Douglas told him to quit, only to realize that his initially brilliant idea would end in a pile of trouble and scolding. 

“Morning Ed.” Douglas said back, not really sharing his early morning enthusiasm. 

“Crazy storm man! Let me tell you, Pam was scared out of her pants. She must have wet the bed six times.” Eddie laughed before he noticed something was off with Douglas. “Hey man, you okay?” 

“Nah, it's my mom. We crashed into the river when we drove home from the mall on Friday.” Douglas sighed, feeling a weight of his chest simply by talking about it. 

“Ah shit dude, that's horrible. Is it bad?” Eddie said as sympathetic as only a best buddy can. 

“Some pretty nasty shit alright. Doctors aren't happy.” Douglas could feel his voice starting to crack up and tremble, his eyes burning, ready to flood his cheeks with tears. “We just got to wait and see.” He said with a whimpered voice, biting his lower lip to hold back the sobs that were building up in his chest. 

“Dude, I'm so sorry alright?” Eddie said, the tone in his voice suggested that he was starting to freak out as well. “The hell are you going to school for anyway? You should be with your mom for Christ sake!” 

“I don't know Ed. I just don't... besides I might flunk math if I...” Douglas started, but Eddie cut him off short. 

“Doug, screw math man! Screw it right up the ass!” Eddie was pissed, Douglas could tell by the glare in his eyes. “This is your mother man. Life and death 'n' shit. Get going you fool, I'll take the heat in math class for ya.” 

“Ed...” Douglas said, taking a deep breath to suck up the snot in his nose. 

“Okay, I know we kinda have a moment here and all, but that's fucking gross dude.” Eddie said with a poorly hidden tone of disgust in his voice. 

Douglas' legs moved as if they had a life of their own. The joints hurt, his school bag bounced around on his back and his chest felt like a furnace while he darted down a gravel road in hopes of catching a bus to the hospital. Only a few bus routes were operational and thankfully they had given the one that swung by the hospital a priority. When Douglas arrived at the hospital visiting hours had just opened and he headed straight to his mothers room at the 2nd floor. Her room was at the end of the hallway, just before the glass bridge that lead to the other wing of the hospital. Aside from the steady bleeping of some medical survey systems, the room was dead silent. Slumping down in a chair next to the bed, Douglas felt conflicted. He'd ditched school, probably for the first time in his life. Part of him told him it was wrong, he should head back and attend class. Another part however reasoned or even argued that if there ever was a time to ditch school, it was now. This mental tug of war made Douglas restless and he started pacing around the room before he finally settled in front of the window, looking out over the trees and the school that laid beyond. 

After spending many hours just sitting by his mother side, talking a little to the few nurses that came by to check on her, Douglas headed across the street to Spiffo's to get something to eat. News about his mother was scarce, though the nurses had informed the doctor that Douglas wanted to know if there were any changes. However it seemed that the doctors were too busy with other patients or making rounds to swing by. As strange as it sounded, Douglas took no news as good news in disguise. His logic was that bad news traveled fast, so if the doctors weren't running after him with news, things were at the very least not getting worse. Not that the current status quo was any desirable position to be in by any means. Spiffo's was not crowded, but at the same time not totally vacant either. Douglas ordered a wrap with BBQ chicken, some salad and sour cream, along with a bottle of soda. It wasn't until he took his first bite that Douglas noticed that he was in fact starving. 

Once he finished his wrap, Douglas headed back outside to spend the last few hours left of visiting hour with his mother when he saw Mr Thompson from the school administration lurking about. There was no way this could be a chance encounter Douglas thought, but a small part of him silently hoped that was the actual case. True enough, as soon as Mr Thompson spotted Douglas, he darted over with a speed that was unheard of for a man of his... volume. Panting and wheezing, Mr Thompson planted a fat hand on Douglas shoulder to keep him from getting away. Not that Douglas had any plans of making a run for it, he did know when the game was up. 

“Mr Sutherland! What...” Mr Thompson wheezed. “...just... what do... you think you're doing?!” 

“I'm sorry I ditched school Mr Thompson, I really am. But you see...” Douglas started with a calm tone of voice, thinking it was the best approach to defuse the situation. 

“Don't talk back to me!” Mr Thompson snapped. “You... you know our school's policy, don't you Mr Sutherland?” 

“Yes I do, but given...” Douglas replied, only to be cut off again. 

“Then you shouldn't run off like some damn drunk!” Mr Thompson shrieked at the top of his voice, making other people in the street pause to see what the fuzz was all about. 

“Mr Thompson please, you're making a scene.” Douglas tried again to be calm, though he felt anger building up inside him and patience leaking out of his system. 

“No I'm not!” Mr Thompson said, sound more like a kid throwing a tantrum than a grown man in his early 40's. “You're coming back to school this instant!” 

An ambulance drove by, sirens blaring and lights flashing while Douglas tried to resist Mr Thompson dragging him back to school. Nurses and some doctors exited the hospital to receive the patient while the paramedics from the ambulance gave them a quick run down of the patients' status. The sudden ruckus was over almost as soon as it started, as the moment the hospital doors closed the street fell back to its more normal noise level. 

“Let go of me! Mr Thompson, I am not going back to school!” Douglas objected, raising his voice and yanking his arm free from Mr Thompson. 

“Is there a problem?” A familiar voice asked, her tone having a stern edge to it. 

Looking up Douglas and Mr Thompson saw Power Girl with her suit partially covered with blood splatter holding an African-American woman in her arms coming in for a landing. Power Girl put the woman down, who thanked her greatly before she darted inside the hospital. Mr Thompson took the opportunity to straighten up his appearance a little as Power Girl walked over. 

“No ma'am, there is no problem here.” Mr Thompson said. “Just getting this kid here back to school, where he belongs.” 

“Is that so?” Power Girl said with a slight tilt to her head, not sounding fully convinced. “Douglas?” She asked, turning her attention to him. 

“Yes I'm ditching school, but only to visit my mother.” Douglas admitted, feeling himself shrinking in front of the two adults in front of him. 

“Listen Mr...?” Power Girl started, casting a sideways glance at Mr Thompson. 

“Thompson, Karl Thompson. At your service.” Mr Thompson supplied. 

“Mr Thompson, I suggest you cut your student some slack.” Power Girl began. “His mother's life is hanging by a thread. He could loose her at any moment.” 

“Bah, you wouldn't believe what sob stories kids these days cough up.” Mr Thompson retorted. “Give them any slack and they run you over.” 

That seemed to push all the wrong buttons in Power Girl's head, since her face flared up to a poorly contained anger and her whole pose shifted to a more intimidating stance. The effect was imitate on both Douglas and Mr Thompson as Power Girl's furious aura reeked around her like some foul stench. Even people from across the street took notice and made a convenient U-turn, shying away from the potential shit storm that was about to unfold. 

“Well Mr Thompson, in this case I can personally vouch for the so called _sob story_ , as it was I that pulled his mother's wrecked car out of the _goddamn_ _river_.” Power Girl said with clenched teeth. “The story checks out and I will not tolerate you keeping a child away from his dying mother!” 

Whether it be the pose, her tone of voice, the choice of words or the blood spattered costume, Power Girl managed to get the message across. Mr Thompson mumbled a lot under his breath and walked back to his car empty handed. Power Girl kept a glaring eye on him until she heard the engine start and saw him driving off. She let her anger vent out with a sharp sigh through her nose and noticed Douglas was still standing next to her, shaking like a leaf. 

“Did I overdo it?” She asked carefully, her anger fading and her stance relaxed as if she was afraid Douglas would break like a fragile work of art. 

“Yes ma'am. For a moment I thought you were going to tear him apart with your bare hands.” Douglas replied. “You certainly looked the part.” 

“Oh this?” Power Girl said, turning her attention to the blood splatter. “There was an accident at the McCoy Logging Corporation, poor fellow had lost a lot of blood. One of his co-workers offered to donate blood, so I flew her over.” 

Douglas was not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Power Girl was acting so casual about the whole blood deal. Supposedly if you see enough of the stuff you get used to it, kind of? Still Douglas was happy for the timing as he was certain that had it not been for Power Girl, he'd be stuck in the car together with Mr Thompson. Even if her anger had put the fear of God in him, Douglas could feel Power Girl's concern for him and it made his day a little better. With no one close to really rely on, it was nice to have this total stranger stand up for him as if they had been life long friends. Douglas wanted to make a point of thanking Power Girl properly, but was unsure how. 

“Listen... I uh...” Douglas fumbled with his words, looking more at his shoelaces than at Power Girl. Even so, at the corner of his eye he noticed that Power Girl was all ears, patiently waiting to hear what he had to say. “Thank you ma'am, for what it is worth. Thank you very much.” 

“You're most welcome Douglas.” Power Girl said with a warm smile on her face. “How's your mother doing, if you don't mind me asking?” Her concern sounded genuine. 

“No changes since last time.” Douglas replied, feeling his heart weighing like a chunk of iron in his chest as the words came out. 

“I see...” Power Girl said with a quiet tone, her pose shifted to be more withdrawn as if she was distancing herself from Douglas without actually moving away. “Do you think I can see her?” 

“Y-yeah, I guess.” Douglas agreed with a surprised look on his face. “But why?” He smacked himself in the head mentally for blurting out such a stupid and rude question. 

“I should get this washed off before it dries up completely.” Power Girl said, tucking a little at her splattered form-fitting suit. “And your mother must be a wonderful woman, since she's raised you to be so polite and kind. I would just like to meet her, if that is alright by you.” 

All the attention that Douglas got because he was walking side by side with Power Girl through the hospital halls was nearly unbearable. How on Earth did she cope with this on a day to day basis? He wanted to look up at her in awe and wonder, but found his shyness overwhelming. There was no way he could live with himself gawking at Power Girl at point blank range with every soul in the hospital unable to take their eyes of them. It would be beyond humiliating if Power Girl caught him staring at her like some half dead fool. Still, the ever subtle bouncing of Power Girl's breasts as she walked only a few feet away was also a constant temptation and distraction for Douglas. 

“I'll make a short stop here.” Power Girl said, nodding at the ladies bathroom. “Is your mother's room far from here?” 

“No ma'am. It's just up ahead, second door on the right.” Douglas explained, pointing down the hallway. 

Power Girl gave him a short nod before she walked inside the ladies bathroom. Letting out a sigh of relief, Douglas suddenly felt a few tons lighter. Maybe he should have declined after all? Sometimes he wished he had more backbone, but then again he'd need a backbone of solid titanium to turn down someone like Power Girl. Returning to his mother's room, Douglas took a seat on the edge of the bed and held her hand. A few minutes later the door opened and Power Girl entered, silently closing the door behind her. Her form-fitting suit had gotten a rough scrubbing in water and though the blood splatter was faint, the suit itself was watery wet instead. On light feet she carefully approached the bed and looked down on Douglas' mother. While she didn't say or do anything special, there was a sense of comfort in her presence that Douglas found most welcoming. Minutes ticked by as they were simply frozen in the moment, soaking it in, carefully crafting a memory of serenity that they could visit at a later time. 

“I should get going.” Power Girl whispered gently with a faint smile. Placing her hand on Douglas shoulder, she added: “It was really nice to meet your mother Douglas. Don't be too late on your way home, okay? Take care of yourself.” 

Douglas couldn't muster out any words, the feelings he had for Power Girl's gentle, kind comfort washed over him like torrents of water. The best way to describe it would be a bottomless pit of gratitude. He could feel his eyes starting to burn with tears and all he could do was whimper quietly and nod his thanks to Power Girl. Looking at Power Girl's eyes, it seemed like she understood perfectly and was mere inches away from getting caught in the moment as well. With a sharp, though quiet breath she tore herself free and left as quietly as she'd arrived. A long minute after the closing thud of the door, Douglas collected himself enough to take his leave. For all its ups and downs, Douglas agreed with himself that today had been a good day and during the bus ride back home, he had a content smile on his face. 

Well back home, Douglas found himself tossing around in his bed. For whatever reason he couldn't get his mind to stop racing around like a Formula 1 car on a rainy track. This restlessness made it impossible for him to lay still enough to let sleep curl itself around him and get some peace and quiet. In an effort to counter this, he tried to usual tricks; drink some water, take a piss and read a book, or at least a chapter of a book. All he got out of that was a sloshing sensation in his stomach from the water and a mild headache because of the reading. Not exactly what one could call an improvement. Sighing to himself, Douglas finally admitted defeat and restored to the final sleep trick he knew; masturbating. 

Finding it difficult to get things going by imagining the cheerleader squad servicing him, Douglas' mind shifted focus to today's encounter with Power Girl. They were back at the hospital, walking down the hallway. The awkward attention that had showered them before was swiftly edited out of the fantasy reconstruction of the event. Fantasy Douglas was at his usual confident self, no trace of shyness or awkwardness around Power Girl, despite that her walk was again “upgraded” to a sexy catwalk with more hip swaying and boobs bouncing. 

“I'll make a short stop here.” Power Girl said, nodding at the ladies bathroom. 

“Sure thing babe.” Fantasy Douglas nodded, to which Power Girl replied with some inviting eyes. 

After waiting a small moment, fantasy Douglas headed inside the ladies room. None of the stalls were taken, only he and Power Girl were present. She had stripped out of her form-fitting suit, soaking it in steaming warm water in the sink. With just boots, belt, gloves and cape on, Power Girl's body was pure goddess material. Casually, yet confidentially fantasy Douglas walked around and behind Power Girl. She raised a glance at the mirror and gave him a sexy, approving smirk before turning her attention back to scrubbing her suit. Looking at her curved ass as Power Girl shifted her weight from one leg to another a couple of times, fantasy Douglas could wait no longer. 

Stepping up, he pressed his bulging groin between Power Girl's ass cheeks and leaned forward to cup her large domed shaped breasts in his hands. Power Girl's response was a sharp erotic gasp, along with an approving smile as she tilted her head to the side and backwards. Arching her back, Power Girl folded her hands over Douglas' and started to massage her breast while slowly rotating her hips, rubbing the bulge with the inner sides of her ass cheeks. Feeling the soft, warm and smooth texture of her breasts, fantasy Douglas let Power Girl guide his hands upwards before shaping his fingers like talons and scraping downwards until he cupped the underside of her mouthwatering breasts. 

“Oooh Doug! You feel so damn good.” Power Girl moaned as she made hissing sounds while taking deep, sensual breaths. 

With the absolute power of imagination, Douglas magically removed the pants and underwear of his fantasy self and rammed his throbbing hard cock balls deep into Power Girl's cunt. Having no real reference to such a sensation, Douglas just went with the images of him pumping Power Girl from behind; sweat drops forming and tracing down her skin, her hair shaking around with every thrust, their hips working in sync to get the highest pleasure and of course his hands actually struggling to contain Power Girl's massive tits from flopping all over the place. 

Back in reality, Douglas was working his manhood as fast as he could. Tightening his grip just a little extra for the gushing release, climax hit him like a monster wave from the Pacific Ocean. Sweaty and panting, Douglas basked in the afterglow of his orgasm, though his feeling of content faded into one of guilt. Wondering if he was some sort of deviant for having such thoughts and fantasies about a person that had been so good and kind to him, Douglas finally found sleep. 

The following day Douglas decided to head to school rather than visit his mother. It would be for the better to carry on as much as he normally would. Of course he wanted to visit his mother, but only after school. Douglas intended to do his homework at the hospital and stay as long as he could before heading back home. It was a compromise and a healthy middle ground that would not tear him apart from the inside out. When discussing this self made agreement with Eddie during their regular walk to school, Eddie wondered where Douglas had found such sage like wisdom. Explaining to Eddie that Power Girl had a play in the matter, the conversation quickly shifted both gear and topic. 

“Hold up! Just hold the hell up!” Eddie said, hitting the breaks on his bike as hard as his hands allowed. “You, Douglas Sutherland not only talked to Power Girl, but spent a good hour with her at the hospital?!” 

Christ, Douglas thought to himself. In the heat of the moment he had completely forgotten about Eddie's obsession over Power Girl. While a lot of guys of all ages liked Power Girl, Eddie was in a class of his own. If there ever was a guy that was beyond super desperate for just a glance of Power Girl, it would be Eddie. His room was loaded with posters, he had massive tomes worth of news clippings and he frequent on all the internet sites that covered anything related to Power Girl. As far as Eddie was concerned, Power Girl was the embodiment of perfection, especially as a sexual partner. There was something about the idea that she could have any man, or woman for that matter, in the world, yet tactfully rejected any and all proposals. Power Girl was something akin to the ultimate conquest; win her over and you'd officially won the game of life. At least as far as Eddie was concerned. 

Douglas on the other hand had a more level headed or realistic expectations of Power Girl. Yes, things had changed significantly due to her rescuing him a few days back and while subsequent meetings could be considered fuel for his wet dreams, it also left a bad aftertaste. Douglas felt bad or even guilty of jerking off to Power Girl, as he saw her more as a person more than ever. It was probably very foolish and even flat out naive to think so, but being so close to her and seeing what she was really like, made Douglas admire her. Regardless of his high opinion of her, there was little denying the raging hormones of a teenager and as wrong as it felt like, the temptation was simply too big to ignore. 

“So what did you guys talk about?” Eddie asked with a disturbingly perverted grin plastered all over his face, leaning deeply over the steering wheel of his bike. 

“Not much, I mean she wanted to see my mom and we just kinda... sat there.” Douglas shrugged. 

“Just sat there?” Eddie said, sounding both disappointed and not even remotely convinced. 

“Well if you want to be technical about it, Power Girl stood and I sat.” Douglas sighed, feeling a little frustrated. “Besides, what was I suppose to do? Make a move on her?” 

“Hell yeah!” Eddie said, with a flabbergasted tone of voice as if it was painfully obvious. 

Douglas was about to counter with the even more obvious fact that one does not simply make a move on Power Girl, especially if you have close to no experience with making any moves on anyone. That plan was interrupted with the arrival of Kris, another friend of Douglas. Kris was a hot headed girl who showed very little restraint when speaking her mind. Her short purple dyed hair, sleeveless jeans west, black tank top and matching pitch black pants made her stand out from the usual crowd. Due to her tomboyish attitude, there were some rumors that she was a lesbian or at the very least bi, though as far as Douglas and Eddie knew it was not the case. 

“Morning guys!” She greeted them cheerfully. “How's it going?” 

“Hey Kris, good to see you.” Douglas greeted her. 

“Where have you been the past few days anyway? Mr Thompson was kinda pissed.” Eddie asked Kris. 

“Free flowing river of shit.” Kris said with a perfectly straight face. 

“Aw man! That's just nasty girl!” Eddie said, making a face. “Way too much information. The hell did you tell us that for?” 

“Duh, you did ask.” Kris snorted back, showing little sympathy for Eddie's disgust. 

“I gotta agree with Eddie on this one Kris.” Douglas chimed in. “You could have lied.” 

“Oh don't be such babies you two.” Kris dismissed Douglas' argument with a brush of her hand. “We all equals in terms of shit and piss.” 

“Dude!” Eddie objected, while Douglas decided to drop the subject entirely. 

The trio had some good laughs on their way to school. Kris was brought up to speed regarding Douglas' mom and was quick to express her sympathies and support. She and Eddie spent the rest of the walk arguing whether one simply could make a move on Power Girl or not, with Douglas caught in the cross fire. At least for now the worries of the world felt a thousand miles away for Douglas. Bickering between Eddie and Kris aside, this was a million times better than sitting at the hospital, worrying sick about things that one had virtual no control over. First half of the school day passed without much incident. When lunch time arrived however, Eddie was determined to get all the details from Douglas and he had earned it. After all, Eddie had been totally quiet about it during the recesses between class. 

School cafeteria was the place to be if you wanted to have some food and drink during lunch. Even if you didn't show up for the food itself, it was a great place to hang out in general. It had eight large tables and benches for the students to sit and eat, at the far end from the entrance was the kitchen and counter, along with a back door that lead out to the trash dumpsters. Windows dotted the wall that ran parallel along the parking lot at the back of the school. On the opposite wall there were one soda machine and two snack vending machines. Aside from the main entrance from the 1st floor hallway, there was a secondary entrance that lead to the schools grassy back yard. During late spring and early summer, it was popular to chill out in the grass during recess and sometimes teachers took their classes outside, especially if it was a self-study class. 

“Okay, so lets start at the beginning okay?” Eddie said, taking a seat on the bench right next to Douglas. 

“Really? We have to do this?” Kris objected. 

“No it's okay Kris. I don't mind.” Douglas assured her, trying to prevent yet another cafeteria scene from unfolding. “So me and my mother were driving back from the mall.” 

“YOU GOT RESCUED BY POWER GIRL?!” Eddie shot out of his seat as if it was on fire, making every soul in the cafeteria choke on their food and spinning around to see what the hell was going on. 

“Yes...” Douglas hissed at Eddie, hiding the side of his face in embarrassment with his right hand. “Now will you sit down?” 

Once Eddie sunk back in his seat and as the cafeteria lulled back to its usual self, Douglas considered telling the rest of the story. Figuring that Eddie would have a heart attack on the spot if he told him that Power Girl had given him a lift home from the hospital, Douglas decided to leave that detail out of the story.

“So at any rate, the next day I decide to ditch school and stay with my mom.” Douglas continued. 

“My idea that.” Eddie shot in, sounding a little proud of that fact.  
“I stay with my mom like... way, way past lunch time.” Douglas carried on after shooting Eddie a quick annoyed look. “Naturally I was starving, and as I come out from Spiffo's... Mr Thompson sees me.”  
“Oh shit.” Kris giggled, picturing what would happen next as Mr Thompson was well known among the students. 

“You got that right. He starts throwing shit around, making a big scene.” Douglas explained, realizing he was actually enjoying himself retelling the story. “In comes Power Girl, from the sky, blood over her suit and just tells Mr Thompson to get out of my hair.” 

“Wait, what?” Eddie said, looking confused. “Just like that?” 

“Yeah, pretty much.” Douglas nodded. “It should have been caught on tape. Power Girl can be one intimidating person if she puts her mind to it.” He shuddered at the thought. 

Classes resumed and aside from a surprise quiz in history class, nothing out of the ordinary happened for the rest of the day. Douglas said his goodbyes to Eddie and Kris before catching a bus to the hospital. On his way up to the second floor to visit his mother, one of the nurses at the reception desk recognized him and pulled him aside. She told Douglas that there had been a recent change in his mothers condition and that she'd been moved to intensive care. Douglas gut felt like it was filled with bricks and boulders at the news. He was taken to a doctor's office where they went over in finer detail what had happened to his mother. Long story short, things had gone from bad to worse and her chances of ever waking up was slipping by for each minute she was asleep. Douglas pleaded to the doctor to let him see her, and although reluctant, the doctor agreed as long as it was for a short time only. 

Douglas mother laid in her hospital bed, wired up to all sorts of medical equipment. It seemed to him that it had ten folded since his last visit, with tubes in her mouth, taped eyelids, some weird cap on her head, clamp thingies on her fingers and several minor tubes stuck into her hands and arms. It was like a scene snorted out from a bad science fiction horror flick, except that the effects were far too real for comfort. The gravity of the situation crawled in on Douglas as he came to the realization that this might very well be it; this is how he'd loose his mother. His mother had always said that it was unnatural for a parent to outlive her child, but this... this was just too damn cruel. All the bleeping, pumping and spinning medical equipment made a dreadful notion come to Douglas' attention; he might be asked if he wants to pull the plug. Him; pull the plug on his own mother. What kind of sick joke was that? Assuming it even was a joke, Douglas for one was not laughing. Hell he wasn't even crying, at least not yet anyway. 

Even if the doctor allowed Douglas to stay longer, he cut the visit short himself. Sick in his stomach and lightheaded, Douglas wobbled himself outside, hoping some fresh air would clear his head. The sounds of the city washed over him, the traffic driving by, pedestrians going to and fro, stray dogs barking and the thumping bass of some party just down the block. It helped a little to clear his head, but the sick feeling Douglas had in his stomach lingered with an annoying persistence. Rounding the corner, Douglas found himself a tree and vomited at its base. It smelled awful and tasted even worse. The sour aftertaste stuck to his tongue like a bad piece of paint, forcing him to make disgusted faces in some hopeless attempt to make things better or at least taste less. 

After regaining his composure somewhat, Douglas headed over to Spiffo's to get something to drink and wash away the godawful taste he still had in his mouth. Waggling his tongue around like a dog in heat did little, if anything to improve the situation. Inside Spiffo's there was a larger crowd than usual, not that Douglas really cared too much. His priority right now was to get a soda of some sort and chug it down like a boss, or at least try to. As a result, he approached the counter with a tunnel vision focus, bought the strongest tasting soda he saw and drank down. The first mouthful took away the worst of it, but a thin watered down aftertaste from the vomit still lingered. Going for another sip, Douglas spotted a rather tall and familiar figure dressed in white in the corner of his eye. Turning around, soda can still on his lips, his eyes locked in on Power Girl's bright blue eyes. 

Both of them were in a rather ungraceful position; Douglas with drops of vomit on his chin and a soda can at the tip of his mouth, while Power Girl's cheeks were bulged with food, a piece of salad sticking out from her lips and a dash of mustard on the tip of her nose. After a moment of awkward silence, the two turn their attention back to their respective meals. Douglas did steal the occasional glance towards Power Girl, watching her practically wolfing down the sandwich. Not the image he usually associated with the Woman of Steel, but he figured everyone's got to eat at some point. Finishing his soda, Douglas tossed it in a trashcan on his way out. Now the crowd made sense; Power Girl did attract attention wherever she went after all. 

Back outside, he felt better. The sickening feeling he had in his stomach earlier was gone, but it now felt very hollow or empty. No wonder, since he just more or less flushed out the whole system a few minutes ago. On the other hand, the terrible aftertaste of vomit was a thing of the past. Now he had an aftertaste of orange soda and a growing urge to burp. Hearing the front door to Spiffo's open and close, Douglas peered over his shoulder and saw Power Girl leaving while wiping her face clean with a napkin. 

“Excuse me, ma'am?” Douglas called out to her. Power Girl stopped and gave him a curious look. Tapping his nose, he said: “You missed a spot.” 

“I knew that...” Power Girl pouted more to herself than to Douglas, wiping off the mustard. “You're looking a little pale Douglas, everything alright?” She then asked, folding away the napkin. 

A part of Douglas was happy that she asked, while at the same time another wished that it was never brought up. Keeping this bottled up inside was everything but healthy, yet he felt that he shouldn't pester Power Girl of all people with his problems. She had bigger things on the horizon than little Douglas, right? Stop an oil spill or ruin some African pirate's day, you know... superhero stuff. Whether it was another one of Power Girl's super powers or if it was good old women intuition, she clearly picked up on Douglas' troubled mind and walked quietly over to him. 

“I'm here Douglas, if you want to talk.” She said with a voice of velvet. 

It was as if something snapped inside Douglas, a dam burst somewhere and he started crying his heart out. A little hesitant at first, but Power Girl decided to fold her arms around Douglas' trembling shoulders and pulled him close to her. With one arm around his small shoulders and using her free hand to run her glove clad fingers through his hair, Power Girl held him in a gentle embrace while rocking him back and forth ever so slightly. Douglas' cries got muffled into Power Girl's form-fitting suit, his forehead bruising up against her bosom and with trembling hands he returned her embrace. 

Douglas lost sense of time as he let his pent up feelings get flushed out in a small river of tears and snot. When he finally did feel like he was finished, Douglas let go of Power Girl and took a step back. Looking at Power Girl's face, it was a sad and pained expression that greeted him. She felt with him, Douglas thought. For now that was enough, it might not be much for Power Girl, but to him it was worth a mountain of gold. Douglas' faintly happy expression changed to one of eye wide surprise when he saw the stain he'd left on Power Girl's suit with his torrent of tears and snot. Flustered, Douglas started making odd and random gestures with his hands, to which Power Girl gave a chuckle. 

“Don't worry about it Douglas. It'll come off in the washer.” She assured him. “How are you feeling?” 

Thinking his words over for a moment, Douglas was about to answer when an unexpected deep belly burp beat him to the finish line, starting out with a deep bass before peaking upwards like a roller coaster, only to dive nose first into the deep belly bass levels as a finishing touch. Power Girl looked at him with a flabbergasted face, before she burst out with a merry, rich laugh. Douglas on the other hand wanted to dig down to China in embarrassment, his whole frame tensing up and his face turning red as a boiled lobster. 

“Oh... not quite what I was expecting, but at least you're honest.” Power Girl chuckled, wiping her tears. 

“I didn't mean to...” Douglas mumbled to himself, feeling both hurt and embarrassed at the same time. 

“It's your mother, isn't it?” She asked Douglas seriously, who only nodded in response. “I'm sorry Douglas, I really am.” 

“Thank you ma'am.” Douglas swallowed while nodding his head. “I... uh... I'm kinda at a loss here to be honest.” 

“C'mon Douglas, let's get you home.” Power Girl offered her hand to Douglas. 

“I guess you're right, ma'am. I'll take the bus though, thanks anyway.” Douglas replied, declining her offer as carefully as he could. 

“Okay Douglas, I'll walk with you for a while.” Power Girl said calmly, retracting her hand with a sad, yet understanding smile. 

The two walked down the street to the bus stop with a somewhat oppressing and awkward silence between them. Once he'd settled down, Douglas started wondering why he ran into Power Girl so often. Arriving at the bus stop, Douglas watched some passengers board a bus that took a different route than the one he needed to get home. Once the bus departed, the bus stop was deserted. After checking the time table, he finally mustered the courage to ask Power Girl. 

“Ma'am?” He started carefully, to which Power Girl gave him her full attention almost immediately. “Why is it that we keep running into each other?” 

Looking at him with a mixture of frown and puzzlement, Power Girl finally replied with: “Your mother is in the hospital Douglas, and since I fly around saving people I frequent by and near the hospital. I suppose we'll see less of each other once your mother makes a full recovery.” 

Feeling like an idiot, Douglas accepted Power Girl's explanation without giving it further thought. The awkwardness returned between the two as they continued to wait for the bus to arrive. Suddenly Power Girl turned her attention to something distant up in the sky. She seemed to squint her eyes as if focusing on something and the iris in her eyes gave away a faint glow. After she had stood like this for a moment, she turned to Douglas with a serious look that said it all; she had to go, super hero stuff. Not that Douglas was in any position to stop her from going, whatever it was it looked either serious or important, probably both. With a small head gesture, Douglas motioned that he'd be okay and that she really should get going. Power Girl shot him a quick smile before she zoomed off to the skies, followed by a sonic boom a moment later. 

A few minutes later, Douglas' bus arrived and even though he'd gotten a lot of his chest, Douglas mind was still clouded with worries regarding his mother. Thinking that he'd spent all his tears, Douglas spent the whole bus ride home fighting to keep the ball at the bottom of his throat to swell into full blown weeping. The whole situation had gone way past FUBAR at the blink of an eye and the dreaded thought that it could get worse chilled Douglas to the bone. Without much of an apatite, Douglas took a shower in an effort to freshen up before trying to get his mind of the troubles through some reading. Trouble was that the words did not stick, Douglas read the same lines over and over again, but couldn't remember, let alone make sense of the first paragraph. Disheartened he turned away from his book and turned on the TV instead, if nothing else the background noise would be a nice change from the deafening silence that hung over his home. Re-runs of How its Made was decent enough and kept Douglas entertained and distracted. Unfortunately it didn't last too long as there was an episode covering medical equipment, jerking his mind back to the harsh reality of his mother's condition. 

Zapping the channels mindlessly in a renewed effort to not think too much about it, Douglas finally settled in on the news channel. The leading story was on how Power Girl was keeping her promise to battle the Mexican drug cartels, with talking heads worried how this could blow up in the face of the US government. Apparently they insisted that Power Girl was an all American girl and unless she handled the situation properly, it could get real nasty, real fast. Counter arguments pointed out that Power Girl didn't have a single nationality, instead she was seen as a citizen of the world. From there the so-called debate sunk down the the usual routine of not taking Power Girl seriously solely based on her looks. Douglas had heard it all before a hundred times over and only listened in with one half interested ear. 

The talking heads were dead wrong, or at least Douglas felt that based on his own experience with Power Girl. Not that he had this near religious belief that Power Girl was perfect, far from it. She had her flaws and made mistakes, though for every flaw she had and every mistake she made, Power Girl worked to make up for it by doing more good. Also one should consider if it was okay for humanity as a whole to blindly depend on Power Girl to fix nearly every issue that decided to show its ugly face. At least Douglas was under the impression that Power Girl carefully tried to find some sort of golden compromise between helping out without making humans overly dependent on her. 

Finally having something that could remotely feel like an apatite, Douglas turned down the volume on the TV and headed to the kitchen to make some late evening snack. While not really a master chef by any stretch of the imagination, Douglas opted for a simple ham and cheese sandwich. While waiting for the oven to get warm, the telephone rang. Curious of who it could be this late, Douglas answered it without thinking too much about it. It was from the hospital, the nurse informed him that his mother had just passed away. Even though the news hit him like a cartoon boulder, Douglas was at least clear headed enough to turn off the oven before he resumed his conversation with the nurse. Like with the book he was reading earlier, the words that the nurse said didn't stick or make any sense. They were just these mumbling noises that came out of the telephone handle. 

Outside, a good 100 feet above ground, Power Girl had stopped dead in her tracks when her superhuman hearing by chance overheard the call Douglas got from the hospital. Even if she knew it was wrong, Power Girl took a quick peek through the ceiling with her x-ray vision to check on Douglas. Seeing him standing like an undead with the phone handle in his hand made her heart feel like it froze over and shattered. Covering her mouth, Power Girl cried quietly for Douglas before she found the resolve to fly away into the night.


	3. Karen Starr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen Starr becomes Douglas' legal guardian after the death of his mother, he moves in at Starr mansion and changes school. Douglas tries to adjust to his new life and after some encouragement from Power Girl starts to warm up to Karen, whom he's initially cold to.

You've seen the classical Hollywood take on funerals so often that you almost expect real life to be just like that. No leafs on the trees, heavy rain, large black umbrellas, fancy looking black cars and maybe a limousine or two. Turns out reality is quite different, in fact reality doesn't seem to give two shits about what Hollywood say or do; for when Douglas buried his mother there was not a cloud in sight, the spring sun hung high and warm in the sky, birds singing and flowers blooming. Even the grass was lush and green in color. Douglas was not by any means from a wealthy family. Sure they got by, but when all was paid for, he and his mother weren't really swimming in left over cash. Savings, while present were nothing to really brag about, so the funeral was nothing fancy. 

The dead do not concern themselves with the affairs of the living, his mother used to say. Still Douglas was confident that she'd come and haunt him if he blew off an unreasonable amount of money to put her to rest. Being an only child of a single parent with no living relatives, Douglas didn't really have any to invite for the funeral. Eddie and Kris showed up, along with their parents and Pamela, Eddie's little sister. Other than that there were a few people from his mother's workplace that showed up. They all expressed their condolences and sympathies to Douglas, who'd no doubt have a hard time ahead considering he was still a minor. The last week had been melted down to a slushy blur Douglas' mind, there was simply so much to do. Dying was the easy part, it was everything that followed that felt like a suffocating not to mention overwhelming avalanche. Eddie and Kris decided to stick around a little while once the priest was done and the others resumed their lives. 

“So like, what now man?” Eddie asked, loosening up the tie on his suit. 

Sighing deeply, Douglas just squinted in the sunlight. “Dunno to be honest. I dunno.” He said with a helpless honesty coloring his voice.

“Sorry... and, you know.” Kris started, looking for the right words. “Let me know if you need anything, okay?” 

“Yeah, I will. Thanks guys.” Douglas replied with a forced smile, patting Eddie on the shoulder. 

With that, Eddie and Kris headed back to the parking lot just next to the church to join their parents, leaving Douglas alone at the cemetery. The tomb stone would not arrive until another 2 weeks, so for now all that marked his mother's grave was a simple wooden cross with her name on it, standing barely a foot tall. Douglas still haven't fully wrapped his head around the absurdity of his situation. Like, what was he suppose to do now? Carry on with school? Money don't grow on trees and he didn't think he had it in him to juggle a job and school at the same time. At least not the kind of job that would be available to him right off the bat at any rate. One option was to either sell the house or rent it out, while finding a smaller place to live. Either way he would have to go through his mother's things to sort out what he'd keep and what to either throw away or give to a thrift shop, a task Douglas was not looking forward to in the slightest. 

Walking back to the parking lot, Douglas was mulling things over in his head, weighing one option up against the other, when in the corner of his eye he noticed a rather fancy and expensive looking BMW parked by the small shed that stood between the church and the road. The car had an unusual futuristic design, a very wide step away from the usual BMW look. In fact if it wasn't for the BMW logo at the back, Douglas would never had guessed it was a BMW. At any rate the whole car was screaming money, top dollar money. The door on the drivers side opened up in an unusual way, it looked like a hybrid of scissor opening doors seen on super sport cars and gull wing opening doors as made famous by the delorean from the back to the future films. 

A woman stepped out of the car and looked over at Douglas before closing the door. While walking over to Douglas, the woman locked her car remotely with a casual click on the car key in her right hand before tucking it away in her jacket. She wore a black leather biker jacket with a black turtleneck sweater underneath, matched with a red skirt that had a large lumberjack shirt pattern on it and blue boots. Her blonde hair was kept in a bob hairstyle while her eyes remained hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. There was something in the way that she walked or carried herself, as if she was confident in herself that Douglas found a little familiar, but could not quite place. Also as she came closer, he noticed that she was tall. Saying that she was close to 6 feet was no understatement. 

“Hello, are you Douglas Sutherland by any chance?” She asked with a pleasant tone. 

“Uh, yeah that would be me.” Douglas replied, despite wondering what this was about he had a pretty good guess.  
“My name is Karen Starr, pleased to meet you Douglas.” Karen introduced herself, offering a handshake. 

“Yeah, likewise.” Douglas said with a polite nod and shook her hand. First thing that struck him was that this lady had hands of steel, for this was one of the firmest handshakes he'd ever felt. 

“I'm not too sure of just how much they've told you, those old crooks at the courthouse.” Karen said, searching through the pockets of her jacket and skirt. “But it has been decided that I'll be your legal guardian from here on out.” 

“Oh-Kay... so what does that mean?” Douglas asked, not too surprised by the turn of events as he was still a minor.  
“Courts generally have the power to appoint a guardian for an individual in need of special protection. A guardian with responsibility for both the personal well-being and the financial interests of the ward is a general guardian.” Karen explained, finally fishing out what she was looking for; a crumbled white envelope which she handed to Douglas. 

“Okay, so you're kind of like my... step mom?” Douglas asked, tucking the envelope away. 

“I suppose you could say that.” Karen frowned as if she was in doubt. “Judge Cameron have appointed me as your general guardian, so you can leave all the adult stuff to me and focus on school and what have you. Okay?” 

“Yeah, I suppose.” Douglas sighed with a sense of defeat. “It doesn't seem like I have much choice in the matter.” 

“Great! So let's head over to your place, get some of the essentials and get you settled in at my place.” Karen said, beaming a smile. 

“Wait, I'm moving in with you?” Douglas made a small jolt at the news. 

“Uh yeah.” Karen said hesitantly as if she was afraid to make the conversation take a turn for the worse. “I'm not going to force you, but I think it would be good for you to have a change of scenery.” 

“But what about my mom's house? All her stuff?” Douglas asked, feeling left out and ignored by both Karen and the system. 

“A person may also be appointed as a special guardian, having limited powers over the interests of the ward. A special guardian may, for example, be given the legal right to determine the disposition of the ward's property without being given any authority over the ward's person.” Karen said as if she was siting some textbook answer. 

Seeing that her lawyer speak didn't color Douglas impressed or assured, Karen shifted her approach and said: “Look Douglas, we'll work this out. And I think this is a step in the right direction.” 

“And if it doesn't work out?” Douglas asked with a voice that dripped of resentment. 

“We'll...” Karen started, looking for the right words “..cross that bridge when we get there.” 

Still not convinced that this would work out, Douglas nevertheless got into Karen's car and the two of them drove off. Since Karen's car was a sports car, its trunk was not what one could call spacious. As a result, Douglas would have to be very disciplined when he did his packing, considering that they could probably only fit one suitcase inside the trunk. Another thing that Douglas noticed was that Karen had a terrible sense of direction, making odd turns and even having trouble following Douglas' directions on how to get to his home. Granted Douglas' house was a little out of the way, but this was ridiculous. After more detours than was strictly speaking necessary, they finally arrived at Douglas' house. 

“Right, here we are. Very nice.” Karen said, looking about the scenery. 

“How come you don't have GPS on that fancy car of yours?” Douglas grumbled, struggling a little to get out of the car. 

“It does have GPS!” Karen objected defensively. “At least I think it does...” 

“Okay, whatever. Can we just... get this done?” Douglas sighed, closing the door shut. 

The packing started and even if Karen offered to help out, Douglas declined and did it all by himself. Instead Karen took a look around the house, being mindful not to touch anything and not to say a thing. She did pop her head into Douglas' room every now and then to check on him, but let him go about his business without a word. Once the packing was done, Douglas put down a filled duffel bag with a audible thud in the center of the living room. Karen had taken a seat in the three seated blue sofa, browsing a magazine she'd found on the kitchen table before she looked up. It was first now that Douglas noticed that Karen had complete heterochromia iridum; her left eye was brown and her right eye was blue. 

“What? Is there something on my face?” Karen asked, looking puzzled. 

“Ah, no. It's just your eyes.” Douglas replied as if excusing his stare before he started patting down his pockets, looking for the keys to the house. 

“Oh that.” Karen said, closing the magazine before getting up from the sofa. “I have Waardenburg Syndrome Type II. Nothing dangerous, it just colored my eyes differently.” 

“Really? Well, I'm done here I think.” Douglas sniffed, rattling the keys in his hand. “I might have to make another trip or two later, but for now I'm good.” 

“Fantastic.” Karen said, coming back from the kitchen after putting the magazine back where she found it. “Lets head back and have some dinner.” 

Karen picked up the duffel bag as if was empty and headed back to the car. It took Douglas by surprise, but he figured that Karen had an active gym membership or a job or hobby that made her stronger than she seemed. Because of her clothes, Karen didn't give away any of the usual hints that she was strong or fit. At any rate, Douglas locked the house and gave it a long look over before joining Karen in the car. During the ride to Karen's house, she tired a few times to start a conversation, though Douglas shrugged off her efforts as attempts to build an illusion of friendship. There wasn't any easy or smooth way for Douglas to simply open up and accept Karen as a replacement for his mother. Why couldn't Karen see that? 

The drive took them out of West Point, a good way down the highway and back up to Dreadwood. Going past both the school and hospital, Douglas half expected them to drive around for another good half an hour, if not longer, trying to find Karen's house. Much to his surprise Karen took a left turn shortly afterwards from the main road, driving down a long driveway that ended with a double door garage, a large garden on the left hand side surrounded by a yellow brick wall and an impressive looking concrete walled mansion painted in the same yellow as the brick wall. Groaning mentally, Douglas figured it would be just a matter of time before the owner of the place would ask them to get off his or her property, with a flustered Karen apologizing and asking for directions. 

Things did not however, unfold as Douglas expected. Karen stopped the car and stepped outside as if she'd been here a hundred times over. Still dubious whether Karen had found the right place or not, Douglas stepped out of the car as well. Hopefully they wouldn't get into any trouble for this, the last thing Douglas needed now was to spend the night in jail because Karen can't figure out how to turn on the GPS in her car. Looking over at Karen, she carried about as if she owned the place; grabbing Douglas' duffel bag from the trunk, locking up the car and fishing out the keys to the house before heading towards the entrance. 

“Do you know the people that live here or something?” Douglas asked, following Karen. 

“Mm? Don't be silly Douglas, this is where I live.” Karen replied with a smile. 

Stopping dead in his tracks, Douglas felt like his brain did a much needed reboot. The fancy car should have been the first flag, but for whatever reason he didn't think much about it. A second flag would be the name Karen Starr; it was no secret that she was a rich woman who'd made a respectable fortune through software development for smartphones and tablets. While she was a bit of a recluse and didn't dance around in the tabloid spot light, the name and address, in addition to the car should have been more than enough for Douglas to understand just who his legal guardian was. He found some comfort in that he'd had a lot on his mind these last few days and that this was the chief reason why he didn't connect these painfully obvious dots. 

Karen unlocked a glass door at the front of the house and with Douglas close behind they walked down a long corridor with white stone tiles on the floor and pale blue wallpaper. With the sound of the shoes clacking against the tiles, Karen started giving Douglas a quick tour of the house. First door on the right after the entrance was the master bedroom, Karen's bedroom. Although it was common sense, Karen stressed that he should stay away from it unless he had to and even then be sure to knock. On the left hand side of the corridor was a couple of windows that gave a nice view into the garden. The second door on the right led to a stairway to the second floor, which Karen would cover once they had settled Douglas in his room. On the left hand side the first door came up, which lead to the kitchen. Third door on the right was the first guest room, though this would not be Douglas' room as it was connected to the first floor bathroom, which Karen used. There were plans to add another door to the first floor bathroom so that she wouldn't have to go through the guest room every time, but Karen hadn't got around to it just yet. 

Rounding the corner of the corridor to the left, Karen pointed out that the first door on the left led to the kitchen. Walking by a couple of windows just opposite of the kitchen door, Douglas took a moment to look a the interior. It was simplistic, yet still homey. Various potted plants stood on the right hand side of the corridor, light brown curtains hung at the windows and a handful paintings of nature decorated the walls. There were even a couple of comfortable chairs with coffee tables on either side further down the corridor. At last they came to the end of the line, a single white door waited from them. 

“And here we are,” Karen said as if she was to present the crown jewel of her house. “your room.” 

Opening the door, Douglas took a few steps inside and looked around. The wallpaper had a strong orange color to it, a gray-blue colored carpet covered the floor completely and all the furniture was in deep dark brown wood. Just right of the door was an empty bookshelf, though if Douglas had a say in things that would be filled in no time flat. The room had two single beds, a tall double door wardrobe between them and a three drawer dresser in the upper right corner of the room. A couple of paintings hung on the wall and there was a TV opposite of the beds. Just right of the bookshelf was another white door. 

“That door takes you to your bathroom and there's a reading room beyond that.” Karen said, nudging Douglas to explore further. 

The bathroom was simple, yet covered the basics. A large mirror over a corner dresser, window on the left hand wall giving view to the backyard and a white door opposite of the first one, leading to the reading room. As for the reading room it was a living up to its name. The upper left corner of the room was made of two large windows, the left wall was hidden behind a fully stacked bookshelf and opposite of the door was a bright brown stress less chair that looked about as comfortable as it looked expensive. Over the chair, on the egg white painted walls hung a large painting of a spring garden in full bloom and the rooms bright gray carpet put a comfortable damper on the sunlight that came in through the corner windows. 

“Care to comment on your new home?” Karen asked, walking back to the bedroom to put down Douglas' duffel bag. 

“It feels like I've walked into an episode of MTV cribs.” Douglas mumbled in disbelief, looking over the collection of books Karen had. 

“Is that so? Well we're not done just yet, there's still the second floor you know.” Karen said with a wink and a grin. “It's where I spend most of my time to be honest.” 

Karen insisted that they'd wait with the boring unpacking until the tour was complete, so they backtracked to the door that lead to the second floor stairway. Climbing the stairs, Douglas could not help but notice that had a very nice rear end, even if her skirt somewhat hid her curves. At the top of the orange colored hallway that housed the stairs, there were two white doors. The one on the right was to Karen's office, which also sported a bathroom and the washing room with a washing machine and a dryer. The door on the left however led to the living room and beyond that was the leisure room. The living room sported multiple sofas, coffee tables and bookshelves. Oddly enough it didn't come with a TV. As for the leisure room, it had features like a pool table, piano, jukebox and even a minibar. 

“So, what do you think?” Karen asked, helping herself with a soda from the minibar and offering one to Douglas. 

“I think commuting to and from school is going to be a bitch.” Douglas said with a dead pan voice, ignoring the soda he was offered. 

It seemed that his response was not one that Karen had expected as she looked like the winds had left her sails. She had, up to this point, been very positive, cheerful and even a little proud of her home. Hesitantly and a little hurt, Karen looked for something to say back, but in the few seconds that ticked away, Douglas took his leave and went back downstairs leaving her alone. It was not like him, Douglas thought. He didn't have to say that, even if it was true he could have said it differently. His behavior was not normal, but something about this place just rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was the sudden spike in material wealth or Karen's overly cheerful attitude. Whatever it was, it felt like an annoying rock in his shoe that made his mood go awfully sour. As wrong as it was to take it out on Karen, she was currently the only one in reach. 

For the next half an hour Douglas spent his time unpacking his luggage while trying to make some sort of plan as to where to place the rest of his stuff. There was no shortage of space, that much was for certain. Even if his room, combined with the bathroom should not be enough, Douglas figured that he could borrow space in the guest room. Deciding he'd done his good deed for the day, Douglas laid down on his bed and indulged himself to a book he'd brought with him. By the time he heard a polite knock on his door, several hours had passed. 

“Dinner's ready Douglas.” Karen said with a small voice from behind the door. 

Dinner, while a simple dish of kung pao chicken with a fresh ribbon salad, was tasty if not a little too much on the spicy side. The atmosphere in the kitchen however was not simple by any stretch of the imagination. Karen still hadn't gotten the wind back in her sails so to speak and although Douglas could see why, there was this childish notion inside him that refused to do the mature thing. So instead they sat at opposite sides of the table, quietly eating their meals with only the occasional clatter of their dishes and eating sticks breaking the silence. 

“I'm not sure the bus schedule around here, but if we can't find one that will get you to school in time, I'm happy to give you a lift.” Karen said after several long minutes of uncomfortable silence. 

Douglas gave a barely visible nod as he kept on chewing on his food with a blank and indifferent expression on his face. At this point he simply didn't have it in him to engage with Karen, let alone humor her. For now, Douglas just wanted to get through the day then take it from there, with no real plan in mind. Not that Douglas was a guy that always had a plan in the first place and even if he was, he found it unlikely that he'd have a plan for this kind of scenario. Finishing his meal, Douglas packed up the dishes and started washing them in the sink. 

“I'll take care of it Douglas.” Karen said, still sitting at the table. “You've gone through enough for one day.” 

Not giving her a word of acknowledgment or even a passing glance, Douglas left the kitchen as if he was a mist. The hallway leading back to his room seemed to go on forever and his feet felt heavier with each passing step. By the time he reached around the door knob, it felt like he had his ankles cast around balls and chains of solid lead. This feeling of suffocation, Douglas didn't know how he would be able to stomach it. Maybe it would work itself out over the long term, though the immediate short term looked pretty grim. For now he decided to go to bed and postpone all of his troubles and worries for another day. 

Douglas woke early next morning from someone gently shaking his shoulder. Turns out that his room didn't come with an alarm clock. Not that it would have helped him, since he forgotten to set the timer on it anyway. Karen it seemed was an early bird and didn't seem to fond of the idea of Douglas sleeping in. After going for a quick shower and getting dressed, Douglas joined Karen at the kitchen for breakfast. She'd prepared a breakfast that offered both milk and juice for drink, along with egg, bacon, bread and fruit. By the time Douglas started on his portion, Karen finished hers and sat quietly sipping her morning coffee. 

“I checked with the bus company last night.” Karen started, breaking the silence that filled the kitchen. “There are no routes that will get you to school in time, unless you want to get up very early and hang around at school an hour before it opens.” She finished with a fast, if not loud slurp of coffee.

“Well that's just great.” Douglas sighed, filling his glass with some more juice. 

“That's public transportation for you.” Karen shrugged from behind her coffee cup. “For now I'll give you a lift to and from school.” 

Douglas' face turned into a skeptical frown. “For now? Just what does that mean?” He asked. 

“Even with a car it's a long commute to and from your current school.” Karen said, putting her coffee cup on the table. “Also I might not always be around to to give you a lift either.” She added, letting the steam from the coffee dance between her fingers. 

“Some guardian you are.” Douglas mumbled with a pout. 

Smacking her flat palm on the table made Douglas jump out of his good skin. “Yes, a guardian. Not a low hoovering helicopter parent that will wipe your ass after every visit to the toilet.” Karen's voice had a sharp edge to it that Douglas didn't feel like tempting any further. 

“So what are you suggesting as a more permanent solution?” Douglas asked, trying his best to steer away from Karen's don't-give-me-that-kind-of-crap mood. 

“Transfer.” Karen said calmly, letting the tip of her finger trace around the edge of her coffee cup. “There's a school a couple of blocks from here that should be able to take you in.” 

After finishing breakfast the two of them headed for the car, where the drive to school was a silent one, and as soon as they arrived at Douglas' school another reason to transfer became apparent. Karen's car was not what one would call low profile, so everyone and their kitten turned heads and were super curious on who would arrive with that kind of ride. That kind of attention didn't sit well with Douglas, it was quite the opposite of what he wanted right now. Karen gave him a sympathetic shrug before he left the car. While the crowd did give him some glances, the attention quickly died out as soon as Karen and her eye catching car was out of sight. Thank God for teenagers short attention span, Douglas thought to himself while he walked through the main entrance. 

“So what's new?” Kris asked during lunch. 

“Please don't tell me there's talk around school about this morning.” Douglas groaned, bumping his forehead onto the lunch table. 

“That was you? Details were a bit sketchy, though I'm not surprised that you're involved since you didn't take the regular route to school this morning.” Kris shrugged before helping herself with her lunch. 

“Oh right.” Douglas sighed. “About that, I've been taken in by Karen Starr.” 

Kris nearly chocked on her juice at the drop of that name. Granted Karen Starr was the riches person in the state, but since she rarely made a fuzz or otherwise drew attention to herself, Douglas was a little surprised by Kris' reaction. 

“Oh my gosh, that's wonderful news.” Kris mumbled from behind a napkin. “Congratulations Douglas!” 

“Just how is this wonderful news?” Douglas grumbled with a mouthful of lunch bulging inside his left cheek. 

“Uh, hello. You do know who Karen Starr is, right?” Kris asked as if she was asking a painfully obvious question. 

“Yeah, she's just about as rich as she's eccentric.” Douglas pouted. 

“Don't be like that!” Kris objected, flicking a small ball of napkin at Douglas. “You finally catch a lucky break and you sound like a spoil kid.” 

“I don't know Kris...” Douglas said as if he'd given up. “She just wants to be all super happy family thingy right off the bat. It feels wrong.” 

“Look Douglas, I know you've been through a lot lately.” Kris started, pushing her lunch plate aside. “Just give her a chance, okay?” 

“Why are you so keen on me getting all buddy, buddy with Ms Starr anyway?” Douglas grumbled as if it was none of Kris' business. 

“Well for starters, because I'm your friend and I hate to see you like this.” Kris started, before continuing. “Secondly, I have it on very good authority that Karen Starr is a nice person.” 

Douglas mood did somewhat improve during the course of the school day, but whatever improvements had taken hold quickly made their departure when Karen showed up in the same outlandish car to pick him up from school at the end of the day. It was the same shit all over again; the buzz among the crowd, the turning heads and the smartphones that popped out, sneaking a picture or even a quick video of the car. While he didn't exactly run, Douglas did walk up to the car with quick, short and stern steps before getting seated as fast as he could. This was going to be a major pain, Douglas thought while wondering just what Kris saw in Karen. 

For the next week this would be Douglas new routine, though Karen assured him it would be over as soon as the paperwork for his school transfer came through. Until then, he'd just have to bear with it. During this transfer period, Douglas consistently ignored Karen; never engaging in her conversations during breakfast, lunch or dinner more than he had to and spending nearly all of his free time in his room reading books, rejecting Karen's suggestions for them to do something together. While it was clear that this bothered Karen, she did put on a brave face and allowed Douglas his space in the hope that he'd eventually come around. 

On his last day at his old school, Eddie and Kris decided to see him off with a little party. For reasons that escaped Douglas completely, Karen and Kris seemed to hit it right off the bat. Eddie dismissed it as a chick thing that guys like him and Douglas had no hope of ever comprehending. The trio spent their time at Spiffo's and had a blast, the biggest victory was that they managed to get Douglas to laugh for the first time since the passing of his mother. One thing led to another and before they knew it Eddie was diving head first into the mysteries of Power Girl's missing camel toe as well as some impressive math regarding the dimensions of Power Girl's chest window. All in all, it was a pretty good day. Both Eddie and Kris promised to keep in touch and even come visiting every once in a while, so it wasn't the end of the world. Not by a long shot. 

Douglas first day at his new school was a different matter. Since this school was just down the road from Karen's mansion, the locals knew her much better than the people from Douglas' old neighborhood. Being a local celebrity meant that as soon as one spotted you, there would be a small to medium sized mob surrounding you in no time flat. Karen took it all with a stride, but Douglas was not a fan of Karen, nor of the attention everyone gave her. After navigating at the school main entrance, the crowd dispersed although Karen did get greeted and occasionally stopped by students who wanted to chat. 

The school itself was as far as Douglas could tell larger than his old one. Both the cafeteria and the indoor gym were much larger and to top it all off the new school sported its own football field. As for the layout of the school, Karen gave him a quick run down. Right after the main entrance there was a stairway that lead up to the second floor. The main hallway carried on straight forward, yet it also branched off to the left shortly after coming in through the main entrance. Down this left hand hallway Douglas would find the infirmary as well as the music classroom. The first floor was dominated by the large cafeteria at the center, with the cafeteria kitchen in the back. Walking down the main hallway, they eventually came to a crossroads. Straight to the left was the cafeteria, down the right were various classrooms along with the janitors office/workshop as well as the indoor gym and showers. Further up the hallway and to the left was the teachers lounge. 

While they didn't go upstairs, Karen explained to Douglas what he could find at the second floor. About ten regular classrooms, bathrooms, school staff meeting room, kitchen classroom, science lab and last but not least, the school library. She also informed Douglas that the showers down by the gym also had bathrooms, so he wouldn't have to run up and down every time he needed to go. 

When they finally did arrive at the teachers lounge, even the principal greeted Karen as if they were close friends. The way Karen introduced Douglas to his new teacher and the principal made him cringe, though he did managed to give a decent handshake and a stiff, if not awkward smile. He was a high school student, a decent one at that. Not some real life edition of Forest Gump, like Karen made him feel like. It was clear that the local community, and especially the school held Karen in very high regard. 

After some final signatures and a few more handshakes, Karen took her leave, but not before making Douglas promise to wait for her to pick him up after school. Apparently she wanted to do something special for dinner, so Karen would pick him up and that was final. At this point Douglas just wanted to get it all over with and hastily agreed just to make Karen stop babbling. The cringe levels were off the charts for that little agreement alone. 

Classes were pretty much the same at this school as with his old one, though word has gotten around that Douglas was Karen's kid and that made in a mini celebrity in his own right. If nothing else, it did allow him to dig up some more information on Karen. For all her riches and seclusive behavior, Karen was very generous towards the local community. She'd donated plenty of money to the school, saving it from more than one financial pinch over the years. The local prison was suffering due to a massive, public scandal about undignified treatment of prisoners and the one that set it all straight? Karen Starr. As it was a private prison, she practically bought the place and pushed through some much needed changes. Although she later sold herself out, Karen still owns enough of the prison to have the final say in all major decisions. 

Then there was the local water treatment plant, which suffered under the financial crisis of 2007–08. The government funding that was put on the table to better the situation was not put on a tight leach, so it didn't go where it was needed the most. Thanks to the stock Karen owned in Apple Inc. and the release of the iPhone, she had plenty of money to spare. Rather than hopping on a jet and buy herself a private island, Karen put money on the table to keep the water treatment plant running. These were the biggest, and most recent examples of what Karen had done. There were plenty of other stories of little things she'd done like investing in smaller, local businesses or paying off a good chunk of someone's debt or even leaving a $300 tip for a $19.58 meal. 

What got the other kids so excited was that for the first time ever Karen had taken someone in under her wing. Many had considered it to be her main flaw; that Karen never had a husband or family. As far as most people knew, aside from the occasional short lived romance, she didn't really have any close friends. Acquaintances yes, but she was a recluse that rarely, if ever reached out to someone for her own sake. It was always to help someone else, in some fashion or another. Douglas figured that they were all very happy on Karen's behalf and thus, they were also very curious of just who Karen had decided to take in. Still all these happy stories had a common theme; money solves everything.

Douglas didn't really bond with anyone at school, though he managed to keep it civil despite getting bombarded with questions that he really couldn't answer. Perhaps he just kept his guard up unintentionally high, finding it difficult to separate the ones that really cared for and admired Karen and the fake ones, that saw her as a shortcut to an easy life. It kind of bothered Douglas that he didn't get a chance to check out the school library as he couldn't find a quiet moment to himself. At the end of the day, Douglas found Karen standing by her eye catching BMW on the parking lot just next to the football field.

“So, how was your first day?” Karen asked, sounding cheerful while turning down the volume on the stereo.

“Okay, I guess.” Douglas replied with an indifferent tone.

“Good. That's good.” She said more to herself while nodding.

“Listen, could we make a stop by my place?” He asked, shifting in his seat.

“Sure, we can do that.” Karen seemed a little surprised at the request. “Why's that? Is there something you want to pick up?”

“No, it's just that this is clearly not working out.” Douglas said firmly. “So I'm moving back.”

“Now Douglas...” Karen started, but a quick glance at his face made her stop and swallow her words.

This time around Karen didn't seem to have any problems finding her way to Douglas' house. It was quite clear that Karen didn't like his suggestion as her mood was in terrible shape. She wasn't angry or sad as far as he could tell. Instead she seemed to be worried, as if a significant part of her world was crashing down around her and her mind was racing to find a solution on how to stop it. The car came to a gentle stop just outside Douglas' home and as he reached for the door, Karen put her hand on his elbow, holding him back.

“Douglas, please.” She started. “We can work this out.” Even her eyes were pleading him to stay. 

“No, we can't.” Douglas' reply was as short as it was blunt.

“You don't know that.” She countered. “You'll never know unless you give it a try.” 

“I did try.” He shot back, feeling like his words were tools to peel Karen's fingers off his elbow.

“First day at school is hardly trying, Douglas.” Karen reminded him. “Look, I'll swing by Gas-2-Go and rent a bigger car to help with the move. Then we can get a bunch of your stuff moved over and take it from there, okay?”

That pushed all sorts of buttons inside Douglas head and he stomped out of the car in a huff, slamming the door hard. Walking up to his old home, Douglas shot a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Karen driving off. Whatever, he shrugged. He'd just have to ignore her when she came back, there was no way he'd open the door for her. Once inside the house, Douglas slammed the door shut, making a large bang that scared the silence away. He was raging for some reason, he couldn't stop himself from burning and bubbling with energy. To vent his frustrations, Douglas headed to his mother's bedroom and started packing. It had to be done sooner or later and as tripping as Douglas was now, he might as well put it to good use.

After a good hour of folding clothes into a suitcase, backpack and duffel bag, Douglas took a pause to check the time. What was keeping Karen he wondered? Surely she would be back by now. Then he remembered that she totally lacked sense of directions and was probably in another state by now. To make more space for packing, Douglas grabbed the backpack and suitcase to move them into the living room. Stubbing his toe on the door frame not only hurt like hell, it also made him loose balance and sent him flat out on the floor.

“OW! Son of a BITCH!” Douglas dropped the suitcase and backpack before instantly grabbing his stubbed foot with both hands, twisting in pain.

The toe throbbed like an overworked sub woofer and burned with a stinging pain. Tears popped out from the corners of Douglas eyes and he felt more alone and miserable than ever before. Nothing, not a single goddamn thing was going his way and he hated it so bad he could taste it. He hated himself, he hated packing, he hated Karen and he sure as hell hated that damn door frame. What did make him jolt out of his loathing and distracting him from his throbbing pain was a rather loud knock on the back door. People often went for walks in the nearby woods or along the riverbank, so it was not unheard of that these people would knock on the back door to ask for directions or if they could borrow the bathroom or something along those lines. Limping over the kitchen floor, leaning a little on the kitchen table for balance, Douglas opened the door expecting to find yet another hiker with a dead cellphone battery or whatever. Instead, Douglas found himself face to face with Power Girl. 

“Ma'am...? Wha..?” Douglas found himself stumbling over words. “What are you doing out here?”

“Oh... eh, I thought the coast guard could use a helping hand, turned out they were just having a drill.” Power Girl explained, though she seemed a little... off today. “So... on my way back to the mainland I figured I'd drop by to see how you were doing.” 

“Well I'm doing fine ma'am, thanks for asking.” Douglas said with more sarcasm than he intended. “Shouldn't you be off dealing with drug cartels or something more important?” 

“Douglas.” Power Girl started. “I don't need neither telescopic nor microscopic vision to see that you're not doing fine. The drug cartels can wait.” 

“Is that something a superhero should be saying?” Douglas sounded skeptical as he pulled up a chair and took a seat. 

“Super or not, there's more to being a hero than putting bad guys behind bars Douglas.” Power Girl replied, taking a step in and closing the door behind her before leaning her back on it. “Even I can't be everywhere at once, but I'm right here, with you, right now.” 

“Well, I stubbed my toe.” Douglas sighed. 

“I suspect there's more to it than that.” Power Girl smiled knowingly. 

“Okay! Fine, my life is a mess.” Douglas said, voicing his frustrations. “My mom just passed away and, and this woman shows up out of the blue and thinks it's all sunshine and rainbows.” 

“I'm sorry about your mother Douglas.” Power Girl said and for whatever reason Douglas could tell that she was telling the truth. “So who is this woman? Your... foster parent?” 

“Legal guardian.” Douglas sighed. “Her name is Karen Starr; rich, successful, cheerful and she doesn't have a freaking clue!” It felt good to give a voice to the troubles that had been swirling inside his head. The problems might not go away, but simply talking about them could make them easier to carry. 

“Is that why you're packing?” Power Girl asked, stretching her head upwards to peek into the living room. 

“Karen wants me to live in her fancy mansion and even had me transferred to a different school.” Douglas explained with a poorly hidden disgusted voice. “I can't stomach either place.”  
“Karen Starr. Mm, the name rings a bell. Can't quite place it though.” Power Girl mused, scratching the left side of her nose with the back of her right index finger. “What's so bad about her?” 

“In a word? Money.” Douglas sighed. 

“Why's that?” Power Girl asked, she sounded a little surprised by Douglas' answer. “Is her money... dirty somehow?” 

“I don't know...” Douglas groaned. “That isn't the problem.” 

Looking around the kitchen Douglas saw a shift in Power Girl's expression as if she'd just realized something that had been in front of her face all this time, but for some reason she'd been blind to it. She walked around the Kitchen, a pair of gloved clad fingers tracing the surface of the worn kitchen counter, tip toeing over the cheap and well used oven, gliding smoothly over the kitchen sink before coming to a stop at the side of the tall dented fridge. Turning half around, Power Girl glanced over her left shoulder at Douglas. 

“Could it be that you don't like Karen because how she spends her money?” She asked. 

“I suppose...” Douglas said with a muffled voice as if he was ashamed to admit it. 

“Well she's not on my bad guy list, so however she spends her money, it can't be that bad. Right?” Power Girl turned around and took a seat next to Douglas at the kitchen table. 

“That's just it; whenever there is a problem, she throws money at it and it goes away.” Douglas started ranting. “School donations, buying and reforming private prison and, and even spending money on things the government should be spending on.” 

“I don't quite follow your reasoning.” Power Girl admitted, taking a seat next to him before resting her elbows on the table, folding her hands in front of her. “Why do you consider these things bad, Douglas?” 

“Don't you see?!” Douglas snapped at Power Girl. “S-s-s-she thinks she can just drop a million dollars in my lap and it'll be alright?” 

Douglas was trembling with anger and tears started streaking down his cheeks. He found himself breathing deeply, the occasional swift yet deep gasp for air slipping past his crumbling composure. Power Girl looked like she was sitting on needles, listening very intently and hanging on to every word that came out of Douglas' mouth.

“All the money in the world won't bring my mom back.” Douglas sobbed. “She can't fix this with money. Why can't she see that?!”

Douglas buried his face in his arms, folding them around in an effort to block out the world that had been seduced by Karen Starr's deep pockets and exclusive credit cards. His cries and sobs ensured that a gloomy mood hung over the little kitchen for a long time. Power Girl just sat there quietly, patiently waiting for Douglas to finish his tears. When he finally did peek up from underneath his arms, he saw Power Girl still sitting straight as an arrow in her chair, hands folded neatly in her lap. Their eyes met as she gave him a glance before she looked off to the distance. Something must have caught her attention Douglas thought. What would it be this time? A fire maybe or an armed robbery? 

“I should get going Douglas.” She finally said, rising from the chair. “I'm sorry I can't be of any more help.” 

Douglas could only nod in response, it felt like his voice had left him halfway through his crying. Power Girl looked like she wanted to comfort Douglas some more, but something was holding her back. In the end she quietly went for the back door. 

“Talk to her Douglas.” She said over her shoulder. “She won't know what is troubling you unless you tell her.” 

With a quiet thud the door closed and Douglas was left alone. Cleaning himself up from the crying, Douglas stood by the kitchen sink washing his glasses when he heard a car approaching. Just as he suspected, Karen came crashing through the front door and started apologizing immediately for being so late. True enough, she managed to get lost and when she asked some local kids for directions, they gave her wrong directions as a prank. In an effort to make up for lost time, Karen started to move the things Douglas had packed into the van right off the bat. The speed and ease Karen demonstrated during the move surprised Douglas, making him suspect that Karen was a recluse because she spent all her free time working out. 

They didn't get to do anything special that evening to celebrate Douglas first day at his new school. Instead they spent time in Douglas old home, packing down just about everything aside from the furniture. For dinner they had some take-away pizza before they decided to call it quits and head back to Karen's. During their drive back Douglas decided to take Power Girl up on her advice and talked to Karen. It started slow at first, just a basic rundown over what had happened at school. Karen had this clever little smile painted all over her face as soon as Douglas started talking, though she was quick to join in once he started asking for confirmation about all the tall tales he'd heard about her from his classmates.

Well back in his bed, Douglas felt drained and tired. It had been a long and rough day, in more ways than one. Emotional exhaustion from crying his heart out, mental exhaustion from all the buzz and attention he got at school and of course physical exhaustion from trying to keep up with a hyperactive Karen during the packing and moving. On the flip side, aside from the furniture the two of them managed to clean out Douglas' old home in a single afternoon. Karen played the fragile little girl card and insisted that they'd get professional movers for the furniture. Most of his late mother's belongings were donated to charity, while Douglas decided to keep a couple of minor things as keepsakes. Karen had suggested that they'd put the furniture on eBay for a quick buck that would go straight to Douglas' college fund, even though he wasn't thinking that far ahead yet.

A refreshing shower later and Douglas relaxed on his bed with a book about Chinese Fairy Tales. He wasn't quite sure where Karen was, but he figured even she would be quite tired after today. For some reason he found the mental image of Karen flat out on her bed, drooling all over her pillow highly amusing. Lying in bed, his mind started drift around in the sea of memories and Douglas' latest chat with Power Girl eventually surfaced. With his imagination as his canvas and the memories as his paint, Douglas started to paint a different image of how the conversation had played out.

The memory started out as normal, with Douglas in the kitchen of his old home and Power Girl soon knocked on the back door. From here on out, the similarities between reality and fantasy were washed away, leaving fantasy the dominating element. Power Girl was not awkward in her reasoning why she had knocked on Douglas' door, instead she struck him as someone who'd been starved for lust. Douglas happily invited her inside, an invitation Power Girl accepted by giving Douglas a deep kiss while cupping his face in her hands. When they broke off their kiss, a silver string of saliva bridged the gap between them, Power Girl lustfully licking up the aftertaste on her lips.

“Guess you couldn't stand it any more, huh Power Girl?” Fantasy Douglas said with a sly grin.

“Oh you got that right.” Power Girl said, giving him a warm sensual smile. “It's not like I could forget what we had at the hospital.”

Walking up to Power Girl, Fantasy Douglas pressed her backwards with each step until she bumped into the kitchen counter. Looking at him with an intense erotic gaze, Power Girl removed his glasses and Douglas indulged himself to her cleavage, massaging the sides and undersides of her breasts. Running her fingers through his hair, Power Girl pressed the back of Douglas head deeper into her large, soft breasts. Coming up for air, Douglas looked Power Girl in the eyes while he ran his tongue across the skin of her breasts left bare by the chest window in her costume. Drawing a sharp, bone chilling breath between her teeth, Power Girl climbed onto the kitchen counter, sitting down on the edge and supporting herself with the arms behind her. Douglas stood before her and she wrapped her legs firmly around his hips as he leaned in to penetrate her. 

A hoarse almost primal groan of pleasure crawled out from deep inside Power Girls' throat as Douglas slid inside to the full length of his manhood. In a blissful daze Power Girl's head swayed from left to right, a content smile curved her full lips. Spine-twisting fulfillment colored her face as he slowly started to pull back before Power Girl's face opened wide with surprise and a gasp of ecstasy the moment Douglas forcefully slammed inside her without warning. The warm moist insides of Power Girl held him in a sweet, pulsating massage while her legs pressed and eased on his hips making him poke her depths ever so slightly.

Picking up the pace, Fantasy Douglas went for short, rapid moving jabs inside Power Girl. She gritted her jaw, panting between clenched teeth while her voluptuous breasts bounced and jiggled against the confines of her form-fitting suit. Reaching the inner, most deepest parts Fantasy Douglas stopped and held his hips in place, resting his chin inside Power Girl's cleavage. Slowly he started to retract, watching Power Girl's face twitch and twist with lustful glee, allowing her a moment to catch her breath. Feeling that he was almost out, Power Girl locked her legs in a childish protest and Fantasy Douglas teased her by slowly reentering her taking a two steps forward, one step back approach. Power Girl's face and bare chest were painted with a thick coat of glinting sweat, she forced a smile between her shifting faces of sensual teasing. With one last nudge of her legs, Power Girl brought Fantasy Douglas over the edge and he let out all of his lust inside her.

“You like that Power Girl? Like it when I unload a good week's worth of cum inside you?” Douglas pressed out while twitching his hips to make sure that he got out every drop.

Back to reality, Douglas laid lazily in bed, pants and underwear around his ankles and a ball of paper tissue tucked inside the palm of his hand. Basking in the afterglow, he found himself floating on a cloud high above the troubles of the real world. Glancing over at the clock on his bedside table, Douglas noticed that it had gotten quite late and if he had any plans of getting enough sleep to be productive at school the next day, he'd better consider going to bed right about now. Tossing away the paper tissue and straightening up, Douglas headed to the bathroom next to his room to brush his teeth and get a fresh set of clothes ready for the next day. The clothes he wore now had that not so pleasant hint of sweat smell, so they would have to go into the laundry.

Standing outside Douglas room, Karen tightly held on to a couple of freshly washed towels that was intended for his bathroom. Her whole frame was locked in a stiff, brittle pose and it took the sound of running water from Douglas' bathroom to make Karen crack free. Loosening up and taking deep breaths through her nose, Karen looked around in the empty hallway left to right before resting her blue and brown eye on the pale white door that lead into Douglas' bedroom. Clenching her fists firmly around the towels, Karen swallowed hard before turning around on her heel, walking on light almost dancing feet while faintly humming some obscure, lighthearted melody to herself.


	4. Secret Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen's identity as Power Girl is unintentionally revealed to Douglas when she saves him from a home accident. Despite learning this big secret, Douglas suspects that Power Girl is not completely honest with him about everything. Douglas partially confine himself to Eddie.

“Wait, why don't you have a cellphone?” Karen asked, waving her fork around instead of helping herself with more bacon from her breakfast plate. 

“I used to, but I lost it.” Douglas said, his tone suggesting that they'd had this conversation before. 

“When did this happen?” Karen sighed, shaking her head a little while turning her attention back to her breakfast. 

“This was before your time, Karen.” Douglas assured her. “Back when Power Girl saved me form the accident.” 

Karen's fork clattered against her plate as it slipped out of her hand. Douglas gave her a passing, curious glance before helping himself with some juice. The conversation had come to a grinding halt, Karen seemed to shrink in her seat while she picked up her fork and poked the few slices of bacon around on her plate. Putting aside the mug of juice with a calm thud, Douglas slowly cracked his neck to the left before holding back a yawn. On the kitchen counter a small radio did its best to starve off the looming silence with some soft, gentle acoustic guitar tunes, though its low volume only added insult to injury. 

“Karen?” Douglas asked across the kitchen table, who immediately left her brooding and looked at him with curious eyes. “Do you think I can get some kind allowance?” 

“Oh. Oh right!” Karen's face lit up with a smile. “You know what, you should. You definitely should.” 

Folding her hands and fingers around her coffee mug, Karen let the soft, pale steam tickle her nose and cheeks, taking in its warm aroma with an calm and relived expression painted over her face. Douglas allowed himself a faint smile before hiding it behind a glass of juice. The two spent the rest of their breakfast to discuss the terms of Douglas' allowance, cracking the occasional joke at one another about outrageous payments and outlandish tasks to fulfill in order to get said payment. School was tugging along at its usual phase, another normal and rather uneventful day with Douglas spending most of his free time in the school library. 

Back home at Karen's place, Douglas entered the house just in time to catch the phone ringing. On the other end was Eddie and Kris who were eager to come over for a visit as they've yet to see Douglas' new crib. A little hesitant at first, Douglas finally caved as Kris really wanted to come over as she'd just gotten her drivers license. While he was quite sure that Karen was fine with it, Douglas decided give her a heads up regardless, since it was rather unusual for them to get visitors. Wandering around in the mansion, Douglas looked for Karen in the kitchen, guest room and even the master bedroom after giving the door a polite knock. 

“Where is she hiding?” Douglas muttered to himself. 

With no Karen to be found, Douglas opted to check the second floor, but still came out with nothing. There was the chance that Karen was in the shower, but if that was the case he'd hear the running water. Just to be on the safe side, Douglas checked the bathroom at the first floor, but even that was empty. It wasn't unheard of that Karen just took off every now and then, but she usually left a note if that was the case. She had dismissed them as rich people problems and despite great advancements in telecommunication technology, there were still things that needed to be done face to face. Douglas had wanted to press the issue as he felt Karen feed him lies, but didn't feel that their relationship was quite there yet. Casual small talk was one thing, confrontations was a whole other level. 

Finally Douglas decided to check the garage just to be on the safe side. There was a chance, however slim, that Karen had fiddled with something in the garage and had an accident. Though given her extensive stamina and strength, Douglas figured it would take a small avalanche to give Karen any trouble worth while. Opening the side door to the garage, Douglas found Karen wearing a orange overall suit, wrench in hand and half a dozen other tools scattered over the floor. She had her attention fully focused on a new addition to the garage; a DeLorean DMC-12. 

“You've bought a new car?” Douglas asked. 

“Hm? Oh hi Douglas.” Karen greeted him smiling with oil and sot spots dotted around on her face. “Yeah, isn't it great?” 

“What happened to that sci-fi looking BMW that you had?” Douglas pondered, squatting down to look at the jacked up car. 

“I returned it shortly after I saw this little baby on eBay.” Karen nodded satisfyingly to herself while rubbing her hands clean with a piece of old cloth. 

“Fine, it is your money after all. Spend it how you see fit.” Douglas sighed, giving up on his efforts to keep up with Karen's eccentrics. “What do you plan on doing with this one?” 

“Ah-ha, I'm glad you asked.” She said, stepping over some tools that laid on the floor and over to the desk. “I plan on putting an electrical engine in it. See?” 

“Do you even know how to do that?” Douglas asked, sounding skeptical at best. 

“Well no, but it is a learning experience Douglas!” Karen replied with a psyched up voice. “You hungry or something?” 

“That reminds me.” Douglas said, recalling why he was looking for Karen in the first place. “Kris and Eddie will be coming over. I hope you don't mind.” 

“Eddie and Kris? Friends of yours, from school?” Karen frowned, trying to place their names in her head. “I don't mind Douglas, just don't break anything and stay clear of my room, okay?” 

A good 10 minutes later and Kris came over in her parents car with Eddie riding shotgun. Douglas greeted them in the driveway and gave them a tour of the place once they were inside. At the end of their little tour, the trio settled in the leisure room on the second floor. Kris stood for the music by browsing through the jukebox, while Eddie and Douglas entertained themselves with a game of pool. Roughly halfway through their game, Karen came by with some snacks and properly introduced herself to Douglas' friends. 

“This is Kris, a good friend of mine from my old school.” Douglas started, “And this fellow here is Eddie, a hardcore Power Girl fan.” 

“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Starr.” Kris said with a polite tone. 

“Always a pleasure!” Eddie replied with an extravagant bow. “Your quite the beauty Ms. Starr, if I may say so myself.” 

“I'm glad I got a chance to meet the two of you in person.” Karen smiled. “Douglas, I'm afraid I have to go on a trip for the next few days.” 

“Oh? Something's come up?” Douglas asked, putting away his pool stick. 

“It's the governor...” Karen sighed. “If I could wiggle out of it, I would but...” 

“Must be pretty important if you're gonna be away for a few days.” Douglas said with a tone that suggested this was one of the things that simply couldn't be helped. 

“It's just a meet and greet for the most part.” Karen groaned before adding: “In Texas.” 

“You're meeting with the governor of Texas?!” Kris was apparently very impressed. 

“Yeah, money do come with some disadvantages.” Karen said with a bitter smile. 

Karen packed some things together and took a taxi to the airport, leaving Douglas home alone with his friends. That did not by any means put a damper on the trio as they had a good time regardless. When pressed for just what Karen did for a living, Douglas couldn't really come with a good answer as the question had gone unanswered for as long as he had known her. Eddie jokingly suggested that she started up as a Power Girl lookalike model before making a big break on Wall Street or something to that effect. According to him, Karen most definitely could have pulled it off as soon as she put some hours in the gym to buff up and get contacts to deal with her mismatching eye color. 

Kris on the other hand pointed out that Karen was not a simple millionaire, she was a billionaire. Story went that several of the best selling apps on Apple's App Store were made by Karen Starr. Multiple of these apps were later translated to the Google Android platform, adding even more money to Karen's already swollen bank account. Even her first real take on Wall St was a success story; Karen bet her then modest savings against the banks back in 2005 and when the housing market crashed, she made a very nice profit that rocketed her into millionaire status. That little story made both Eddie and Douglas take a moment to let it sink in. Douglas knew that Karen was rich, but he'd always seen her somewhere in the millionaire or at best in the multimillionaire range. The fact that she was actually a billionaire was mind-boggling to say the least. 

While Douglas suggested that they'd just sleep over instead of driving back, Eddie had to decline as he had to babysit his little sister as his parents would attend a wedding. With Kris as his designated driver, she had to go as well. Bummed down that they had to leave so soon, Douglas told both of them that they were welcome to drop by whenever they felt like it. After Eddie and Kris drove off, Douglas returned to his reading room and made the hours fly by finally giving the black gilmore he'd found a good read. While the content of the book was dancing along the lines of stupidity, Douglas was nonetheless intrigued by it as there was little doubt in his mind that it was the real deal. 

The next couple of days were rather uneventful for Douglas, spending his days at school, doing homework and taking care of his laundry. He did consider cleaning Karen's laundry as well, but ultimately decided against it. She might give him some lip for doing so, then again he could risk a mild scolding for not doing it either. Karen did give him a call, saying that she'd be back late Friday night. The leading headline on the news was that Power Girl had seriously stepped up her game in an effort to keep Mexican drug cartels out of America; several large drug production sites had been hit, a couple of hundred arrested and large quantities of drugs either confiscated or flat out destroyed. 

With the mansion to himself, Douglas did let himself loose. The news had shown a lot of images of Power Girl in action and while it had been some time since the two of them spoke face to face, Douglas could not help but using the images to cook up another fantasy of him banging her. This time around the two of them had just defeated a powerful drug lord and were basking in the aftermath of their battle. Finding a luxurious master bedroom with suitcases scattered about half filled with cash, fantasy Douglas gave Power Girl a push, making her land on the bed face down. Lying on her tummy, with her weight on her forearms and one leg bent out to the side, the other outstretched behind her, Power Girl looked over her shoulder at fantasy Douglas with starved eyes. 

Fantasy Douglas got top of her and after pulling her suit aside, entered her from behind, taking his weight on his arms. The pressure of his body on her pelvis created pleasure for Power Girl and the rhythm of his movements kept increasing, building up to higher levels of ecstasy. Hoarse groans crawled out from deep inside Power Girl's throat as her hands gripped on to the bed sheets, tearing them apart in the seams. With the bed rocking and creaking under them, Douglas shifted his weight around so he could slip one free hand underneath Power Girl, cupping her big breast in his palm. 

“Yeah! Oh baby! Fuck me, Douglas! Fuck me hard!” Power Girl cried between her gritted teeth. 

“You like that? You like my cock in your pussy, huh? Say it!” Fantasy Douglas whispered loudly in her ear while smacking his cock deeper inside. 

“Oooh, I love it! I love getting fucked by a big, fat American cock after dishing out justice!” Power Girl moaned out before loosing her voice to a girlish giggle. 

“I bet you do, Power Girl!” Douglas shouted out with a extra deep thrust of his hips before leaning in for a faint whisper. “I'll cum buckets worth inside your cunt.” 

“Ah yes! YES! Give me that thick cum!” Power Girl rasped with a coarse voice. “Your cum is the best, Douglas. Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me!” 

Picking up the pace, Douglas went for the last sprint, pumping in and out of Power Girl's pussy rapidly. Her round butt-cheeks felt fantastic, their warmth licking his pelvis every time he went balls deep inside her. The wet smacking sound of their union filled the room as well as the stench of their sex. One of the legs on the bed either cracked or got knocked out of its place, making the bed suddenly jerk to a different position. Just as the bed landed, fantasy Douglas fired off his load deep inside Power Girl, who's pussy milked up every drop. Sweaty and panting with exhaustion, fantasy Douglas slid out and rolled over to the side, feeling content and fulfilled in the aftertaste. Power Girl laid at his side, heaving for air and soaking in sweat. 

Back in reality, Friday came and went, and if Karen arrived back home, Douglas had not noticed. The thought didn't even cross his mind until he was in the kitchen early the following morning making breakfast. He figured that he should at the very least check with Karen if she was in the mood for breakfast or if she intended to sleep in. Giving the door to the master bedroom a polite knock, Douglas didn't get any immediate reply. Opening the door so that he could barely stick his head inside, Douglas couldn't see much as the curtains were drawn closed and the lights were off. Once his eyes had adjusted a little, he could see the silhouette of a person lying in bed and the sounds of early morning groaning soon followed. 

“Sorry, did I wake you Karen?” Douglas asked with a small, hushed voice. 

“Mmm? What time is it?” Karen mumbled from her bed. “God I feel like shit...” 

“It's 09:48.” He told her. “Would you like some breakfast now or do you want to sleep in?” 

“You're a life safer Douglas. I'll take...” Karen started before cutting herself short. “Shit.” 

“We've got some eggs that needs to be eaten before they go bad.” Douglas suggested, not really catching Karen's breakfast request. 

“I'll just sleep in a little while longer, Douglas.” She told him. “Thanks for the offer though, appreciate it.” 

“Don't tell me you're hung over...” He sighed more to himself. 

“Ugh, my head... why does it have to hurt?” Karen groaned, rolling herself into a ball of quilt and misery. 

“That must have been some meet and greet.” Douglas said as he closed the door. “Sleep tight.” 

Once back at the kitchen, Douglas realized that he'd made a terrible mistake. The frying pan was ablaze with a nasty looking grease fire. To make matters worse, his composure went out the window and in the heat of the moment all his brain could come up with was that fire was bad. From there it was a short and generally speaking logical leap to the conclusion that to deal with the bad fire, just add water. By the time the smoke alarm started screaming its circuits off, Douglas already had a glass of water ready and standing a few feet away, tossed it at the fire. The resulting fireball that shot out from the pan and licked the bulk of the kitchen roof with a tongue of thick, black smoke put the fear of God in Douglas' bones, so all he did was cower in fear, shielding his face as best he could. 

A fraction of a second later, there was a loud bang and cracking of wood before the sound of a howling wind filled the kitchen while the temperature shot downwards like a bullet. Sitting on the floor and peeking out from behind his arms, Douglas looked around in the kitchen. The corner with the stove was covered in a thin layer of sliver frost crystals, twinkling in the morning sun like little stars. In front of him Douglas saw the tall and broad back of Karen, she stood in her singlet and panties pajamas with her legs wide apart, hands clenched into angry fists and for the first time ever, Douglas noticed she was buff. While not body builder buff, she certainly looked like she could kick just about any man's ass without breaking too much sweat, or at the very least give him one hell of a run for his money. 

These new discoveries quickly felt insignificant compared to what Douglas saw when Karen turned her head over her shoulder. She was pissed or rather furious beyond anything Douglas had seen before. Yes she'd some temper and an attitude that had flared up on occasion, but this was in a whole different ballgame. The way she looked at him, it felt like a glare that could sink battleships and her words certainly matched her angry blue eyes. At this point Douglas was unsure if Karen saving him had actually improved his situation or not. It certainly didn't look that way as far as he could tell. 

“The hell is wrong with you, Douglas?!” She barked at him. “Never EVER use water to put out a grease fire!” 

He wanted to apologize but the words couldn't get out of his jammed brain, let alone slide of his tongue. Karen didn't take it lightly that he just sat there flat on his ass, staring at her as if he'd been hit by a bolt of lightning. If anything, it only made her already horrible mood go even further south judging by the looks on her face. As she turned around and approached him, Douglas was convinced that she'd give him a good beating, for it sure looked like the only possible outcome. He just hoped it would be with the flat palm rather than a clenched fist. Instead Karen flopped down on her knees in front of him and embraced him, holding him close to her and running her fingers through his hair. 

While they sat like this for a small moment, Douglas let his eyes slide over to the other side of the kitchen and noticed that the kitchen door had been kicked down with such force that it had snapped in half and taken a couple of pieces of the door frame with it for the ride. Karen was strong, that much was evident, but even with an adrenaline rush that was some absurd power in play. Douglas didn't get more time to ponder the finer physics involved in kicking down kitchen doors however, as he noticed that Karen was actually crying. 

“H-h-hey, I'm sorry. Okay?” Douglas comforted her by returning her embrace. “I'm alright, see?” 

“NO! It is NOT okay!” Karen protested, crying into his shoulder. “I could have lost you...!” 

“B-b-but you didn't, alright?” Douglas assured her as best he could, stroking the top of her head. “A light burn and lost dignity from pissing my own pants is...” 

“Burn?! You got burned?!” Karen held Douglas at arms length, her fingers digging into his shoulders. 

“Ow!” Douglas yelped, making Karen loose her hold on him entirely. “Yeah, though I think my clothes to most of it.” 

Karen didn't waste any time and swiftly yanked Douglas back on his feet before dragging him over to the kitchen counter where she practically tore off his sweater and t-shirt with her bare hands, tossing the shreds aside. Giving his arms a closer inspection, Karen found the underside of his left forearm red and scalding. Opening one of the kitchen closets, she quickly fished out a couple of bottles of oil and put a healthy dose in her hand before applying on Douglas forearm. As the oil got coated on, Douglas noticed that Karen was again getting irritated over something. With an annoyed shout, Karen looked up at the ceiling and gave the blaring smoke detector an angry glare. It was so angry that the detector flat out melted and fell silent. The smell of burned plastic soon followed, but at least now Karen seemed calm again. 

“Karen?” Douglas asked quietly as her hands grew slower and slower while applying the oil. “I'm really, really sorry. Okay?” 

“Me too.” She replied with a small voice. “About a lot of things.” 

“Even so, that was amazing.” Douglas said, hoping to cheer her up. “Coming in here as fast as you did, kicking down the kitchen door and... and.. using.. the fire extinguisher....?” 

Douglas mind was starting to catch up with what had actually transpired during those few seconds and it became clear to him that things didn't add up. Getting to the kitchen as fast as she did made sense, given how fit she was and added bonus points for adrenaline kick. The shattered door was a bit more tricky, but it could still be explained with physical fitness and adrenaline, even if it was stretching it. As for the frozen stove and no fire extinguisher, things started to fall apart. Then there was the smoke detector that more or less melted on its own. With a flabbergasted look, Douglas ended up looking at Karen and only now noticed that both her eyes were blue. 

“You're... you're not actually Power Girl by any chance, are you?” Douglas sheepishly asked her. 

“Bing-bong, you're correct.” She told him with a small smile, shrugging her shoulders a little. 

After getting a fresh change of clothes, Douglas splashed some cold water on his face in an effort to collect himself and make sense from what Karen had told him. All this time he'd been living with Power Girl? Just what the hell was going on around here? Figuring he was way over his head, Douglas decided it was best if he just walked away from it all. Getting one of the riches people in the state to become your legal guardian is one thing, realizing that the same person is the worlds only superhuman is a whole other level of nope. Quickly packing some basic luggage, Douglas figured he'd just catch a ride and crash at Eddie's place. Heck, he might just as well head back to his old home back at West Point. It wasn't much, but it was something and it was going to get him the hell out of this mansion of madness. 

“Where are you going Douglas?” Karen asked calmly as she met him in the hallway. 

“Out...” Douglas' reply was short and coated with fear. “Back home.” 

“Douglas please, hear me out okay?” Karen pleaded, offering her hand to him. 

“No, you stay away from me!” Douglas shouted at her, shrinking back while clutching his luggage. “I know your secret and that's bad, right?!” 

“Calm down Douglas.” Karen said calmly, taking a step back to give him some space. “You're not thinking straight and you're hyperventilating.” 

“No, no, no, no! I won't tell, I won't tell anyone!” Douglas cried, panic and hysteria sinking their fangs into his mind. “Just! Let me go, please!” 

“Douglas, listen to me.” Karen insisted with a more commanding, yet soft voice. “You need to breathe, deep breaths.” 

Douglas mind started to slip into waves of dizziness, he felt a tingling in the lips, hands and feet. A nasty headache started to crack around inside his skull like an earthquake, while his body felt like it was sinking into a pool of weakness. The last thing he remembered was loosing control over his legs due to spasms and Karen rushing forward to catch him as he fell to the floor. 

When he came to, Douglas' alarm clock on his bedside table told him it was way past noon. Feeling someone else being present in the room, Douglas peered around and found Karen sitting on the edge of his bed. Now sporting a loose light gray knitted sweater with the arms pulled halfway up her forearms, and a wide o neck showing the top of her chest. A light yellow, ankle long summer skirt with a lush-fully green flower decor along the edge was neatly folded around her legs. She noticed him shifting around in the bed and turn around, her face became a slushy blur as she leaned in since Douglas wasn't wearing his glasses. 

“Hey, you okay?” Her gentle voice sounded like a faint smile as she stroke his hair softly. 

“Uhm, I could use some water...” Douglas said with a hoarse voice. 

Karen rose from the bed and headed to Douglas' bathroom on quiet feet, the way her skirt bellowed up in the air as she walked suggested that it was made of a very thin fabric. While she was away, Douglas helped himself to his glasses that were neatly folded on his bedside table. Returning from the bathroom, Karen took a seat on the edge of the bed and offered him a glass of water. Sitting up in bed, Douglas drank the glass nearly empty before he held it timidly in his lap. What now? He had a hundred different questions swirling around in his head, each screaming for attention. Karen seemed to pick up on his confusion and calmly placed her hand on top of his, smiling faintly at him. 

“So... Power Girl, huh?” Douglas finally said, breaking the silence. 

“Mm-hmm.” Was all that Karen said in reply while nodding her head. 

“Is me knowing that you're...” Douglas started, fumbling with his words. “A bad thing?” 

“No, not at all. Better this way actually.” Karen replied quietly, tilting her head. “My identity isn't a super secret anyway.” 

“It isn't?” The question practically plopped out of his mouth before his brain could even register that it was out in the open. 

“The US government has known since the early days of the Clinton administration.” Karen explained that as technology progressed and the world got more connected, it became difficult to keep her two lives a secret. 

“That long? Wow...” Douglas was not sure if he was impressed that the government found out or that Karen kept it going for as long as she did. “How did they find out?” 

“The military have some very interesting toys, that are not known to the general public.” She told him with a tone that suggested they should drop that subject. 

“Were you ever going to tell me?” He asked Karen. 

“At some point, yes.” Karen confirmed, nodding to herself. “Ideally a few years down the line, hoping, gambling even that our relationship would be a little less fragile by then and the reveal itself would not be so... dramatic.” 

“So what happens now?” Douglas was worried about the answer, but was silently hoping that it wouldn't be all that bad. 

“Less lies, more honesty.” Karen said as if it explained everything. “Though you'll have to keep this a secret.” 

“Why?” The question plopped out of Douglas' mouth before his brain could even think of putting on the breaks. Trying to salvage his own stupidity, he added the first thing that came to mind. “I mean, if the government already knows...” 

“There's no shortage of people that want to hurt me.” Karen explained patiently. She reached out with one hand and gently stroke Douglas' cheek. “If they knew, they could try to use you to get to me. Understand?” 

Thinking back on how she'd reacted to the grease fire,it was no stretch of the imagination to say that Karen would raise hell and high water to get him out of trouble. Although they were pretty far north, given Power Girl's recent hard push against the Mexican drug cartels, there was the faint possibility that he could be in danger if they knew what he was worth to her. Though at the end of the day, Douglas was a nobody, just another kid among millions. So what was it about him that made Power Girl, or rather Karen, so protective of him? 

“Uhm... why are...” Douglas started, Karen picking up the glass of water out of his hands. “What is it about me that makes me so special?” 

Karen seem to freeze, her fingers lingering a small inch away from the glass of water she'd just put quietly on the bedside table. Small tweaks in her face, her rich blue eyes jerked around a little as if she was rapidly reading a text. After a small hesitant moment, Karen retracted her hand, the fingers curling into a weak and loose fist before she settled on lightly nipping on the fingernail on her thumb. Her eyes went from Douglas and then down to the floor in front of her, then back at Douglas. 

“Let's take it one step at the time, okay?” She finally said, rising from the bed. “You've been through a lot and I've got a kitchen to fix. Get some rest, okay sweetie?” 

She leaned in and gave Douglas a light kiss on his forehead, taken by surprise Douglas' eyes shifted around restlessly as Karen's loose sweater showed off a very generous view of her cleavage framed inside a navy blue bra. As soon as Karen was out of sight, Douglas flopped back in bed, trying his best to organize his thoughts regarding today's events. Power Girl, of all the people it had to be her. As if the odds for getting taken in by someone like Karen Starr was not enough. Down the hallway, Douglas could hear Karen on the phone talking to someone. Hopefully not the US government, though at this point that wouldn't really surprise Douglas all that much. Even Power Girl might have to call something like this in, just to keep others in the loop if nothing else. 

A small hour later, Douglas started to get hungry and decided to get something to eat. The kitchen shouldn't be a total mess, though judging from the hammering and sound of muffled construction work coming from further down the hallway, it might be off limits for the time being. Even so they could just eat out or order take out, right? After getting changed, Douglas left his bedroom for the kitchen where he found carpenters working on setting up a new door frame on one end and a couple of other men unpacking the new oven. With money being a non issue, it made sense to simply buy a new one or maybe it was covered by insurance? Seeing a bucket of paint on the floor, Douglas assumed that they would start painting over the black burn marks on the ceiling at some point, so that would mean that the kitchen was or soon would be off limits. 

Leaving the kitchen behind, Douglas opted to go outside for a bite. Backtracking to his bedroom, he picked up his wallet and headed outside. The driveway to Karen's garage was for once not naked and bare. The servicemen that had been called in for the repairs had parked their vans there and then there was the issue of a couple of pitch black cars at the back. Both of these black cars just screamed government issue, though it was not really easy to tell from which agency they came from. Opposite of the driveway, Douglas spotted Karen's blond hair sticking up from the first government car, apparently talking to at least one other red haired guy who stood a few inches shorter than Karen's flat 6' tall frame. 

Karen took notice of Douglas in the corner of her eye and stretched upwards to peek over the car before waving him over. Nervously he walked towards Karen and her government associates, all the time reasoning that it would be better to get this over with quickly and that Karen would have his back. As soon as he arrived, Karen was quick to put him in front of her, placing both of her hands on his shoulders. The red haired agent measured him up and down a few times before squinting back at Karen in the sunlight. 

“Agent Reed, this is my adoptive son Douglas.” Karen said, there was a motherly pride coating her words. “Douglas, this is special agent Reed from the FBI.” 

“Pleased to meet you.” Douglas said, thanking whomever or whatever was in charge of things that his voice didn't crack. 

Special agent Reed didn't look too impressed, in fact he looked a little bored, like a poker star. The stakes might be higher than what most mortals could stomach, but it didn't seem to faze special agent Reed. Since her so called cover was blown back in '93, Karen had struck a deal with the Clinton administration. She'd be allowed to go about her business on the condition that she'd abide by US law and check in with the FBI every now and then, especially if something big happened. Not that a grease fire was anything to write home about, but deciding to start a family, however small, was. Special agent Reed was the third in line of FBI agents Karen had reported to, along with his partner; special agent Reese. 

Whatever they were talking about, Douglas was not let in on it. Special agent Reed took his leave, giving Karen a short nod of his head as his goodbye and drove off in his car. Whomever that had accompanied him followed suit. Karen sighed with relief as soon as the cars were out of sight, Douglas had felt her fingers tensing up a little on his shoulders as special agent Reed and his entourage started up their cars. It was just a wild guess on his end, but Douglas suspected that things weren't all happy hour between Karen and the FBI. 

“Did you want something, honey?” Karen asked, softly folding her arms around Douglas, rocking him back and forth in her embrace while resting her chin on the top of his head. 

“I was going to eat.” Douglas replied, finding Karen's sudden nicknaming and intimacy a little off putting. “Considering that the kitchen is off limits, I was going to... I dunno, grab a burger or something.” 

“Yeah, food sounds good.” Karen agreed, Douglas could feel her tilting her head left and right a few times as she spoke. “Hold that thought for a minute and I'll join you.” 

“You sure?” Douglas asked, looking up and over his right shoulder. “What about the carpenters?” 

“Those guys?” She let out a sniffed laugh through her nostrils. “Sealed, stamped and approved by the FBI. It's not like they're going to find my secret lair or anything.” 

Karen took a light jog back to the mansion, her yellow skirt sailing behind her in a hurried dance on the air. Watching her like that Douglas noticed that she was actually barefooted, though given who Karen was, he found it unlikely that walking around like that would cause her any discomfort. If you can take a tank shell to the face and get away with it with just a messed up hair, some gravel in a driveway under your naked feet will go by unnoticed. 

A small minute later and she came back, this time with a pair of blue flat shoes with crispy white soles. Again she approached Douglas with a slight jog, holding on to her skirt so she wouldn't trip on it and along with every step her soft and loose sweater rocked and swayed around her chest, arms and shoulders. While the sweater did a remarkable good job at providing a smokescreen for Karen's breast bouncing around, it also filled Douglas' imagination with fictional images to compensate. 

“Okay then, shall we?” Karen beamed at him, her whole face lit up like a Broadway stage show of smiles and happiness. 

It wasn't until she stood right in front of him that Douglas noticed that Karen had gone back inside for more than just her shoes. Looking into her smiling face he saw that her eyes were back to their familiar dual colors. Avoiding the public eye whenever possible, different colored eyes thanks to contact lenses and a wardrobe that specifically set out to hide her bulky and buff frame were all smoke and mirrors to keep Karen Starr and Power Girl separated. There were probably other tricks Karen applied as well Douglas could imagine, though he was not exactly an expert in whatever things women applied to their person whenever they... dolled themselves up, as his late mother would call it. 

“Shouldn't we take the car?” Douglas asked once Karen started walking down the driveway towards the exit. 

“What, you mean the DeLorean?” She replied, spinning around on her heel before resuming walking backwards. “The engine is in a hundred different pieces, plus the driveway is blocked.” 

Karen gestured to the carpenters' cars that stood parked in the driveway as if she was stressing her point. Douglas was tempted to suggest that she could simply lift the cars out of the way or Karen could fly them to wherever they wanted to go, but stopped with the thought. Reminding himself that he shared Karen's secret, Douglas had to be more mindful of his wording from here on out, at least out in public. Considering they were on foot their options were a little limited, though there was a sweet little burger shop right around the corner from Karen's mansion which suited them just fine. Once there he had a small change of heart as Douglas saw the weekend special; grilled chicken club. 

They placed their orders and took a seat by a cubicle while waiting for their orders to come through. The burger shop wasn't particular busy, it had hardly passed noon and it was a Saturday. Guess people around here like to sleep in, Douglas mused to himself while peering outside the window. Karen, sitting across the table was in a cherry mood; fiddling with a toothpick between her fingers with one hand and resting her chin in the other as she hummed a merry tune to herself, stealing the occasional glance at Douglas. Eventually Douglas gave up on trying to make sense out of recent events and decided to talk to Karen, hoping to get some answers. 

“Karen?” He asked quietly and Karen's humming stopped abruptly as if the reading head on an old LP player had jumped off the record. “Would you mind if we talked about... you know?” 

“Oh Douglas, you're so sweet.” She flashed him a toothy grin, squinting her eyes at him as if he was so adorable she couldn't help herself. “I'm happy to talk. What do you want to know?” 

“What was that deal with the FBI?” He wondered. 

“Just Uncle Sam checking in, nothing you need to worry about.” Karen assured him, still smiling as if she'd won a million dollars. Seeing that Douglas didn't appear all that convinced, her face grew a little more serious. 

“Douglas, leave that kind of thing to me.” She started, her tone sober and softly embraced in a pleading tune. “They won't come between us and split us apart. I won't let them.” 

“I guess I'll have to trust you on that one.” Douglas replied after letting Karen's words sink in for a long moment. 

“Good.” Karen let the word roll out like a soft whisper, discarding the toothpick and letting her hand slide across the table, folding it over Douglas' hand. 

For the remainder of the time Karen and Douglas spent at the burger shop, the conversation covered the more practical parts of keeping Karen's true identity secret. No one was to know, they'd have to be careful when talking on the phone, sending text messages and the topic was naturally banned from all social media, no exceptions. The only exception would be face to face conversation when it was just the two of them at Karen's home. Then just about anything was fair game as far as conversations went. Public spaces was more restricted, though face to face conversation was allowed as long as it was discreet. 

“Wow, this is... this is a lot to take in at once.” Douglas said as they left the burger shop. 

“I know sweetie, but trust me when I say that the last thing you want to do is start spinning an elaborate web of lies.” Karen said apologetically, sounding small and timid. “Keep it simple and don't breathe a word of it.” 

Douglas stopped in his tracks, watching Karen as she carried on walking across the small parking lot that was in front of the burger shop. She stretched her right arm in the air, folding her left arm over her head and grabbing her right arm just underneath her elbow before tensing up her back and shoulders. Reaching the sidewalk, Karen turned around – probably noticing Douglas eyes on her or simply wondering why he'd stopped. In his head, Douglas went over their chat at the burger shop and had noticed that Karen had started showering him with nicknames; sweetie, honey, darling and the like. It was very unlike her and it seemed out of character. Not that Douglas knew Karen all that well, but even so. 

“Douglas, what's on your mind?” Karen asked, she sounded a little troubled or worried even. “Something wrong?” 

“It's...” He started, for a moment considering dropping it as it was apparent that Karen was very happy right now and telling her that the nicknaming was off putting might spoil it. “...just a minor thing really, what's the deal with the nicknaming?” 

There was a subtle, yet clear change in Karen's composure as the question rolled over her. If Douglas were to describe it, it looked as if the real Karen slipped backstage into the shadows and a masked Karen stepped up and into the center stage. Something was not right he thought, there was something that she was not telling him. What on Earth could that be? She had already spilled the beans on her dual identity as Power Girl and things don't get much bigger than that. 

“I'm just happy I can be fully honest with you, Douglas.” Karen said, almost as if making a point of calling him by his name rather than sweetheart or whatever she would have, for the lack of a better word, normally done. “That makes you very dear to me.” 

Douglas was considering pressing the issue or dropping it when Karen's attention shot to her left and she peered down the street towards her mansion. The carpenters and servicemen were taking their leave as their vans drove by, giving their horns a few beeps as they passed Karen. She didn't respond to either of them as her eyes grew distant. Was there trouble brewing somewhere, Douglas wondered. Time for Karen to suit up and save the day as Power Girl? The thought sunk into Douglas mind like little spikes. The idea that Karen would from time to time literately fly off to save the day would take some time to get used to, if Douglas could ever get used to it. 

“Phone's ringing.” Karen said, her voice sounded awfully flat before she got very serious and darted off pretty much like a speeding bullet. A fraction of a second and she was gone, yet no sonic boom this time around. 

Shifting his gaze around himself, as far as he could tell the street was deserted and no curious souls were peeking through the curtains from any of the surrounding houses. Still he didn't want to start drawing attention to himself, so Douglas did his part in keeping up appearances and walked normally back to the mansion. Once back inside in the main hallway on the first floor, Douglas found Karen's skirt or rather what was left of it lying on the floor. Guess a thin and light fabric was not able to withstand that kind of movement and come out in one piece. It made Douglas realize that this might become a more common occurrence in the days ahead. 

The door to the master bedroom was ajar and also brand spanking new. Guess it too got a beating when Karen dashed into the kitchen, though as far as Douglas could tell it had fared better than the kitchen door. Either that or the carpenters were just damn good at their job, heck it might not even be the first time they'd changed the doors in Karen's home come to think of it. Karen called for Douglas from inside the master bedroom. 

“It's your friend, Eddie.” She told him, handing him the phone. 

“Hey Eddie, what's up?” Douglas said, feeling a little off as Karen eyed him carefully with serious eyes. “Uhm Karen, your skirt.” He pointed at her hips while covering over the phone. 

Glancing down, Karen finally realized she was standing in her vine red panties as her skirt had taken a leave of absence due to her sudden sprint to catch the phone. Her muscled thighs were tastefully framed along the black edges of her vine red panties and she looked really stunning from her waist to her ankles. The blue and white shoes however, really crashed with the rest of her style. While Douglas opted to focus on the conversation with Eddie rather than staring holes in Karen's hips, crouch and thighs, his eyes were still drawn to them as she walked around the bed and to the closet on the opposite side. There was something sensual and soft about her gait, her hands rested in a soft sway just inches away from her hips while the bottom of her sweater only allowed the lower half of her panties to come into view. 

As she rounded the corner of the bed, Karen cast half a glance over her left shoulder, a mature smile, faintly dotted with hints of arousal took form on her lips as she eyed Douglas' reaction with a lazy and content gaze. It was just for a second, the kind of second that the movies drags out to a full minute with slow motion footage, volume light and a soothing instrumental melody sliding lightly in the background. The moment was lost as Karen turned away her gaze and reached out for the closet doors. Eddie's voice seemed to jump from a near muffled and muted volume to full throttle death metal live performance at the clacking of the closet doors opening. 

“Yeah, I'm here man.” Douglas babbled, shaking out of the moment and back to reality. “What were we talking about again?” 

Karen allowed herself another smile, larger and more knowing than earlier as she fished out a pair of jeans from the closet. Sitting down on the bed, she removed her shoes and stepped into the jeans. Sinking her fingers into the belt holders on the hips of her jeans, Karen stood up from the bed and gave her jeans a few good tucks – alternating between left and right, shifting her hips as she inched the jeans up and over her butt-cheeks. 

“Mom is going to have a ladies nights out on the town since dad has gone off for his high school reunion, leaving me to babysit Pam.” Eddie groaned over the phone. “Kris isn't returning my calls, so I was hoping you could come over and maybe catch a movie or something?” 

“Uh...” Douglas was struggling with keeping more than two thoughts in his head at the same time as there was a real struggle as of just where all his blood should be going. “Yeah... movie at your place. That, that sounds good.” 

Douglas spun around when Karen started making light grunts as she fiddled with the buttons on her jeans, taking a few faint hops in an effort to make her jeans cooperate with her. This was very different from what Douglas had gotten used to when he'd started living with Karen, that much was for certain. Right now his number one priority would be to get away from Karen before he either said or did something he'd regret. Maybe this was a kryptonian thing, maybe this was how Karen really was like around people she'd let into her inner circle or maybe this was how all women behaved. What the hell did Douglas know? Apparently that the sight of a woman walking around in a sweater and panties was sexy as hell. You learn something every day, Douglas thought to himself before he hastily agreed to Eddie's suggested movie. He didn't even catch the title, since his head was spinning around like a runaway carousel loaded with images of Karen putting jeans on. 

“Going out?” Karen asked when Douglas finally put the phone down. 

“Yeah!” Douglas squeaked out a few octaves higher than usual, coughing to regain his voice. “Uh... Eddie's place, I'll keep him company while he babysits his little sister.” 

“Okay, have fun.” Karen smiled, picking up her shoes. “Call me if you decide to sleep over though.” 

“Yeah, uh... yeah I'll do that. I'll... call and.” Douglas fumbled with his words, trying to get the images in his head out of the way so he could think straight. “Let you know... about that. I better get going then.” 

“Need a lift?” She offered, still a clever little smile on her face. 

“Thanks, but I'll manage.” Douglas said before taking his leave. 

A small hour later and Douglas arrived at Eddie's place. Eddie's mom had just left and his dad had gone on his high school reunion the day before, leaving Eddie, Pam and now Douglas alone in the house. Pamela was about 4 years younger than Eddie and Douglas, so she was just young enough not to make the cut to handle a weekend on her own, at least according to her parents. The three of them spent the first few hours playing through some board games while ruining their apatite with snacks and soda. When it came to movie time, the title of the evening was Battleship, chosen exclusively because Pam was a die hard fan of Rihanna. Not exactly Oscar material, but it had some nice effects and loud explosions in it, so there was a little for everyone in it. 

After the movie it had gotten late enough for Pam to hit the sack, though through harsh negotiations over the living room coffee table it was agreed that Pam could stay up longer, as long as she kept to her room. Eddie and Douglas settled in the living room, firing up the game console rather than another movie. Douglas wasn't much of a gamer, but he humored Eddie and took a back seat watching his friend play. 

“So, uh, you okay now?” Eddie asked, wiggling the controller around in his hands. 

“Yeah, it's good. Why'd you ask that?” Douglas wondered as Eddie wasn't really the type that had “talks” with his friends. 

“Dunno, thought I'd check on ya since y'know...” Eddie started, shrugging his shoulders as if it didn't even make sense to him. “You've been through a lot of stuff and you seem kinda.. out of it.” 

“Hey, thanks man. That means a lot.” Douglas said, raising his soda can to a lonesome toast before taking a swig. “Fire's died out and the smoke is clearing up, sort of speak.” 

“Great!” Eddie snorted frustrated, shaking his controller at the Game Over screen. “So you and Ms. Starr are cool?” 

The question shouldn't have rattled Douglas up as much as it did. It was a reasonable question all things considered and while Eddie might not be as sharp as Kris with these kinds of things, he was by no means blind to them either. Thinking to himself that there was a certain bliss found in ignorance, Douglas tried to jump start his brain so that his answer wouldn't set off any bells or whistles in Eddie. 

“Yeah, we're... getting to know each other better.” Douglas said, remembering Karen's advice to not spin a web of lies, though he wasn't sure if half truths were any better. 

“Cool, cool.” Eddie said, loading up his saved game. “You guys are bonding, that's great.” 

“So what's the latest news on Power Girl?” Douglas blurted the question out of old habit and mentally kicked himself for it a few seconds later when he realized what can of worms he'd just opened. 

“She did a massive bust against the drug cartels down in Mexico earlier this week.” Eddie replied, sounding a little disappointed. “Those suckers keep their operations out in the middle of nowhere, so there's hardly any photo's of the bust.” 

Douglas was relieved that Eddie's Power Girl fandom gave him such a tunnel vision that he didn't notice that Douglas was squirming uncomfortably in the sofa. Thinking about changing the subject, Douglas noticed that he had a good opportunity to learn something about Power Girl that might fill in some dots that had bothered him ever since he learned that Power Girl and Karen Starr were one and the same. What little Eddie didn't know about Power Girl wasn't really worth knowing or simply unknown. 

“Say Eddie.” He started, Eddie lazily turning half around as he sat on the floor in front of the TV. “What do you know about Power Girl's private life? Like family, friends... that kind of thing.” 

“Well damn son, where did that question come from?” Eddie asked, putting away his game controller and turning his full attention to Douglas. “You never really cared about her before, right?” 

“Yeah, well that was before she saved me.” Douglas shrugged, starting to regret asking questions that were out of his character. 

“Alright.” Eddie shrugged, apparently not really questioning Douglas' sudden interest in Power Girl. “She doesn't have any family, she's the last of her kind and she dropped out of the sky back in '76. As far as friends go, hard to say. The bulk of her time goes into saving the day or traveling from one crisis to the next, that doesn't leave much time to form friendship. She's a nomad, never really sticking around at one place long enough to set root.” 

“I see...” Douglas said, letting Eddie's answer sink in. “Guess that's why she never had a boyfriend either, huh?” 

“You could say that.” Eddie agreed, giving off a sniff that suggested that it was only half of the story. “Officially speaking she's single, always have been. Plenty of guys have tried all manners of tricks to win her over, but she gracefully shoots them down every time.” 

Eddie got up and walked over to the fridge to help himself with another soda. He gave Douglas a glance, asking if he'd like another. Douglas made a gesture with his hand, saying he was good before helping himself with some more chips. Opening his soda can, Eddie carried on explaining to Douglas. 

“Tabloids claim that every now and then she uses escort services to scratch her itch, though they never have anything solid to back it up with.” He said, taking a seat next to Douglas in the sofa. “On the flip side, you have guys like Kevin Spacey that apparently have a girlfriend, but no one knows who she is.” 

“So it's possible that Power Girl have a boyfriend, she just keeps it so private that no one knows about it?” Douglas asked. 

Eddie just shrugged, suggesting that if a simple actor like Kevin Spacey could be that protective about his personal life, then by all means it should also be possible for Power Girl. The trick apparently was to find a guy that would keep such a relationship quiet, which Eddie dismissed as impossible due to the massive bragging rights you'd get out of it.


	5. First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Douglas loses his virginity to Power Girl after he finds her in great emotional distress. Later she admits that she wants to bear his child. She confesses that is the reason why she approached him both as Power Girl and then later as Karen Starr. She also reveals that she'd known about Douglas' lusting after her for some time.

The alarm clock shifted from 07:29 to 07:30 and its single speaker started blaring out a frustrating car honking sound at steady intervals that kept rising in volume as Douglas fumbled around with a lazy, wobbly hand trying to find the precious snooze button. With a satisfying smack, Douglas' palm landed flat on the long, slim snooze button and a blessed silence sunk down over his bedroom, the snuggling warmth underneath his quilt felt even more heavenly than usual. A long minute dragged on with Douglas' mind swaying in and out of half awake and half asleep before he got out from underneath the covers, groaning and yawning as he planted both of his feet outside the bed and flat on the floor. 

Outside, behind the bedroom curtains, the spring sun was well on its trek across the sky, birds exchanging morning greetings with one another before a swift and angry breeze rustled up the trees and bushes beyond the outer wall of the Starr manor. With weak, lazy feet Douglas dragged himself to the shower and while scrubbing down his hair, Douglas took notice that his burned arm from a few days before was healing up nicely, no thanks to Karen's swift response and somewhat improvised treatment. 

"Power Girl, huh?" Douglas muttered under his breath, stroking what remained of his injury with one finger. 

After finishing the shower and getting dressed, Douglas settled down in the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Looking at the clock, it was still 07:42, plenty of time for him to grab something to eat before walking to school. Listening in on the radio, the weather forecast promised nice temperatures and light clouds throughout the day. Breakfast for the day was a simple fruit smoothie consisting of pineapple, some nonfat yogurt, a banana, a few ice cubes and a good dose of orange juice. Standing by the kitchen counter with the smoothie in hand, Douglas eyes drifted from one kitchen entrance to the other, tapping his left foot a little and shifting the weight from one leg to the other with a restless discomfort. 

For the past few days Douglas had been on his own, Karen had taken off by the time he got back from Eddie's place; she'd left no note, no message, nothing. The radio shifted from playing music to the first news broadcast of the day; Scott Muldoon was presenting the news today with a clear, precise and formal tone of voice. Gulping down the last remains of his smoothie, Douglas' hand reached for the volume button and gave it a small turn when Mr Muldoon shifted from China's stock market to the latest word regarding Power Girl. An Italian arsonist had been apprehended by the authorities much thanks to Power Girl's testimony after she saved a family of five from their burning home. The twin girls at age 9 were in critical, yet stable condition while the rest of the family had escaped with minor to light injuries. Mr Muldoon was never given a chance to report on the sports as Douglas twisted the volume button to the point where it snapped over the zero volume point and the radio powered down. 

Rinsing the blender bottle under running water, Douglas' hands moved with an indifferent, almost animatronic fashion while he strained his ears, stealing a glance at the corner of his eyes from one kitchen entrance to the next. Taking a quick and sharp breath through his nose, Douglas straightened up and collected his backpack before heading to the front door. The hallway leading to the front door stood barren and silent, the sound of the brand new kitchen door closing rattled almost like a thunderclap right over Douglas' head. Tossing his backpack over one shoulder, Douglas held on to the backpack strap with one hand, his fingers coiling around tighter for each step that brought him closer to the door to the master bedroom. He could hear the beating of his heart behind his ears, rising both in volume and speed, a single drop of sweat formed at the edge of his hairline before it started its tickling trek down the side of his left temple. With an annoyed and fast gesture, Douglas swiped away the distracting sweat, swallowing hard as the new and improved door to the master bedroom, with its matching door frame, loomed and swallowed nearly all of his side vision. 

Darting towards the front door as fast as his feet would carry him without actually running, Douglas pulled the door open, stepped outside and spun fast on his heel before closing it gently, as if careful not to make a sound. Letting out a trembling sigh of relief, Douglas fiddled with the key with a shaking hand before he managed to stick it in and turn it around with a very satisfying click. Allowing himself a few deep breaths to calm both his breathing and racing heartbeat, Douglas straightened himself up a little as he looked over his reflection in the front door before he walked towards his school. Leaving through the front gate of Starr manor, Douglas feet went on autopilot as he started threading down the now familiar path to his class; turn right after leaving the manor, keep going straight ahead through both cross sections and the school will be on the left hand side right past the trailer park on the right hand side. Conveniently enough, there was a side entrance just near the music room, so Douglas didn't have to use the main entrance if he didn't want to. 

Classes went by without incident, lunch in the cafeteria was a rather unappetizing vegetarian dish that looked like one of the abominations from H.P Lovecraft's imagination and rather than socializing with his classmates, Douglas found solace in the school library. There were still a few persistent students that wanted to be best friends with Douglas, but ever since he learned about who Karen really was, his reluctance to invite anyone over had gone up tenfold. A shameless gold digger that wanted to leach of his rich stepmom, or rather legal guardian, was not someone that Douglas wanted to hang around with and he was convinced that Karen wouldn't approve either, all things considered. 

As the final class for the day ended and Douglas' classmates started packing up while making plans for the evening, Douglas himself just shifted uncomfortably in his chair, deliberately taking his time to pack up his note and textbook. As the students started pouring out of the school building like dutiful little ants, making merry and playing the occasional prank, Douglas lagged behind, taking time to read posters and notes posted on the billboard before he eventually ran out of excuses not to leave without making it look awkward. Leaving through the exit on the opposite side of the main road, Douglas came out by the football field. Out in the parking lot, one of the teachers were giving a student an earful for one reason or another while the local team were preparing for another training session. The idea that he could stay at school and do his homework, even self study did cross his mind, yet it was rejected under the grounds that Karen would come looking for him. Shuddering the thought out of his mind, Douglas straightened his shoulders and walked back home to Starr manor. 

Starr manor was inherently different the moment Douglas set foot past the front door, it had a very different feel to it, a feeling that made the hair at the back of his neck stand straight up. There was no mistaking that sound that came from further down the hallway, the sound of heavy footsteps climbing down the stairs from the second floor. The door handle clanked into motion and the door was swallowed into the wall before a bright green laundry basket peeked out, half full of neatly folded clothes, held firmly in place by an arm with well defined muscles. Karen stepped into the hallway, her head crooked to her right side as she was on her phone, balancing the basket by half raising her leg so she could shift around to close the door behind her. She wore black knee long yoga pants that looked like they'd been painted on her legs, a large and loose plainly white singlet and what looked like a pitch black sports bra underneath, though all Douglas could see of it were the straps peeking out from underneath her singlet. 

"Uh-huh... yeah, we could do that." Karen talked into her phone, her naked feet pitter pattering over the tiles as she walked away from Douglas and deeper into the house. "No, don't be silly. My Russian isn't that bad." 

She disappeared into the guest room, still apparently oblivious to Douglas return from school as far as he could tell. Sighing with relief, Douglas crossed down the hallway as fast as he could while at the same time remaining quiet. Just as he rounded the corner of the main hallway, leaving his back exposed to the open guest room door, his shouldered tensed up a little as he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, edging his feet to move just a little bit faster. Finally closing his bedroom door behind him, Douglas let out a breath of fresh air as if he'd been under water for fifteen solid minutes, knees turning into jello, making him slide down along the bedroom door until he sat on the floor with his legs stretched out before him. Turning his head to the left, he could still hear Karen's muffled voice talking over the phone. She sounded... normal, sparkeled with a light friendly tone that allowed for a quick chuckle now and then. Folding his hands while squeezing the bridge of his nose with his index fingers, Douglas calmed his breathing before he got up on his feet and started doing his homework. 

"Oh, so you are back home." Karen said, popping her head into Douglas' room as he was finishing his English essay. "How's it going sweetie? Had a good day at school?" 

"Mmmhmmm." Douglas replied, hunking down over his notes. 

"So how does mango ginger salmon sound like for dinner?" She asked, her tone sounded noteworthy friendlier than when she spoke on the phone. 

"Okay, I guess." He mumbled, turning away from Karen as he spoke, pretending to fish for something in his school bag by his chair. 

"And here, this is for you." Karen said with a cheerful tone as she put a black and green box on Douglas' desk. 

"What's this?" Douglas asked, peering over the edge of his desk at the box. 

"Your new cellphone." She explained, tapping the box with her finger. "Nothing super fancy, I figured you wouldn't want one of those billionaires only models." 

"Uh... right." He said, recalling the talk they'd had a few days past. "Thanks, I guess." 

"You're welcome, even if this comes out of your allowance." Karen smiled at him before she left, presumably to the kitchen. Despite various urban myths, dinner does not cook itself. 

While Douglas was no tech junkie, he did have some interest in gadgets. At least new gadgets, once they'd been around for a while, they kind of lost their appeal and blended in with all the other accessories that he used on a day to day basis. He did however, spend the rest of the time until dinner fiddling around with his new phone, consulting the manual, taking a few selfies by mistake and almost blocked his SIM card by reading the wrong code. When Karen called from the kitchen that dinner was ready, Douglas left his phone behind for recharging. Steeling himself, Douglas opened the door to the kitchen and stepped inside where Karen stood squatted down in front of the fridge, comparing one jar with another. She still hadn't changed out of her yoga pants and its material was quite clearly under a lot of stress, it left so little to the imagination that Douglas could practically count the bumps made by the sewing thread used on Karen's panties. 

"Oh darn it." Karen complained, rising from her squat and nudging the fridge door closed by the tip of her foot. "Both of the sour creams have expired." 

Douglas slided down in his chair without a word, hardly making any sound at all and keeping his eyes focused on his dinner plate while unfolding the napkin that was wrapped around his flatware. Walking over to the trashcan, Karen held Douglas in a disapproving sideways glance every step of the way, only taking her eyes of him for a small second as she stepped on the pedal to open the trashcan lid. Both the jars of sour cream made heavy thuds into the trashcan before the lid slammed shut with a dull plastic smack and Karen took her seat across from Douglas'. The silence that creeped in over the kitchen table was eerily similar to the one that had been very much present when Douglas had first arrived her. Karen, while eating silently, did give out a few loud and slow sigh's that made her chest heave and sink; a motion that caught Douglas' eyes, even if he only caught glimpses of it at the upper edge of his vision. 

"Okay, I'll bite. What?" Karen said finally, dropping her fork down on her plate, resting her right cheek on a casually formed fist, her planted elbow making the whole kitchen table rattle uneasily. 

"Nothing..." Douglas shrugged, still looking down on his dinner plate. 

"Nothing, my ass." She grunted more to herself than to Douglas. "Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you." Karen straightened in her seat, smacking her right palm flat down on the table, rattling the plates and flatware even more. 

Jerking up straight in surprise, Douglas eyes darted right to Karen's face before they inched their way down ever so slightly. The finer science of sports bras were not something Douglas was familiar with, but if he were to guess it was a combination of Karen's size and build that made it challenging to find one that fit as intended. As it were, the pitch black one that she currently wore did an admirable job of holding her breasts in place, though it was perhaps a size or two too small for her and made the top of her breasts almost spill out of it as a result. It took Douglas a small second or two to realize his mistake and he quickly corrected himself by looking Karen straight in her mesmerizing clear blue eyes instead. Her eyebrows raised as if asking her question again; what was up? Karen's expression shifted into a dissatisfied glare as the seconds ticked by and Douglas' didn't give her an answer. 

"Is it school? Is someone bullying you?" She asked. 

"No." Douglas retorted as if the idea as absurd. Who'd bully him, Karen Starr's only family member? Talk about social suicide. 

"Homework then? Any subject you're struggling with or a class you're finding challenging?" Karen asked next, gesturing with her hands as if she was trying to conjure the truth out of Douglas. 

"Karen, I have straight B's across the board." Douglas reminded her, before adding: "Except in PE, where I have a C minus." 

"Stars above." Karen sank back in her chair, a look mixed with disbelief and defeat colored her face. "You're having problems with a girl, aren't you?" 

"Jesus Christ! Where did that come from?!" Douglas protested. "I don't even have any girl I like." 

"Then what Douglas, what is it?" Karen pressed, leaning forward, folding her arms underneath her chest. 

"Like I said, no – thing." He stressed the last word, exaggerating its pronunciation. 

"I'm calling bullshit." Karen pouted, slumping back in her chair before grabbing her glass of water, pointing her finger at him with the same hand that held her glass. 

"What is it to you anyway?" Douglas shrunk back in his chair, seeing Karen's pout and raising it with his double pout, teenager edition. 

The glass of water shattered in Karen's hand, splashing water over her singlet and pants while her glaring eyes and pointing finger remained fixed on their target. Her lips curled into a snarl, flashing angry teeth and it looked like she'd unload a tsunami of whatever was on her mind, but instead she slowly closed her eyes and took slow, deep and steady breaths through her nose. Karen's chest rose and sank with each breath, the soaked singlet now clinging to the sports bra underneath, a few drops of water resting at the top of one of her breasts wiggled themselves free before sliding down into the shadow of her cleavage and out of sight. The wet singlet hugged the curvature of Karen's breast, revealing a faint little hump poking up against the fabric that could only be her nipple. 

"Because..." Karen started, taking another deep breath. "… I'm your guardian, I care for you very much and I only want what's best for you, okay?" 

She rose from her seat, pushing back her chair with the back of her knees, making it groan out loud protests as it slid over the kitchen floor. With fast, busy hands she picked up glass shards that she dumped on her plate, patted down the table with a fistful of napkins and gathered her plate along with the spent napkins. Douglas sat motionless in his chair, tracking Karen with his eyes, the focus of his gaze shifting rapidly between her face and the alluring motion of her breasts as they bobbed around inside her sports bra. Karen's face still looked stern as she walked over to the trash can with determined steps before taking a small percentage of her frustration out on the trash can lid pedal, making it gape wide open in attention before she dumped her entire plate, dinner leftovers, glass shards and soaked napkins with a loud crash. 

"Be careful on your way out, there may still be shards on the floor." Karen huffed over her shoulder as she walked out of the kitchen, slamming the door hard behind her. 

Douglas opted to backtrack to his room, fish out his hideously neon green crocs slippers and resume his dinner in the kitchen. After finishing his dinner, he did his own dishes as usual and found a broom along with a dustpan, going over the kitchen floor a few rounds just to make sure he got even those illusive little shards. There was even a slim shard of glass by the stove that was about as long as Douglas' thumb, holding it up so he could catch his distorted reflection on its inward curve, he gave a faint smile. 

"Power Girl, huh?" He mumbled to himself before discarding the remaining shards in the trash. 

For the rest of the evening, Douglas retreated to his reading room, loosely flipping through Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, reading a page here and there before heading to bed. Karen was not seen or heard of for the rest of the evening. When morning presented itself the following day, Douglas again ate breakfast by himself before heading to school. Since it was one of the cafeteria chief's birthday, today's menu consisted of various types of pizza, which was an instant hit among the students. Classes after lunch dragged on at their usual pace, PE class was more of a chore than usual as Douglas' regular teacher had left for maternity leave and the substitute teacher pushed the students as a drill sergeant would with a fresh batch of recruits. Thankfully though, that was the last class of the day, so Douglas could go back home on wobbly feet as soon he got out of the gym shower. 

Starr manor appeared larger and emptier than ever before when Douglas had barely crossed the front door, the glass in the door frame rattling a little as it closed behind him. Taking a few deep breaths, Douglas swallowed hard and started down the seemingly endless hallway, though as he'd just passed the door to the master bedroom, he froze midstep. In the suffocating silence, Douglas listened intently to a faint, muffled sound that was gently scraping against the edge of audible sound. Frowning he half turned and peered over his shoulder, eyeing the door, all shiny and new before raising his eyebrows in a hint of bewilderment as he faintly nodded to himself. Backtracking a few steps Douglas found himself standing face to face with the bedroom door, closing the distance until he could feel his own breath bouncing off its surface and tickle his cheeks with gentle and soft brushes of warm air. A half gaping hand reached out for the door handle, but he paused himself just a few inches away, retracting his fingers ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath and holding it while puffing out his chest, Douglas' fingers wrapped themselves around the door handle and gave it a twist, making the mechanics inside the door crack and clank before the top hinge gave a little squeal as the door slid inwards a few inches. 

The door crack was so narrow that when Douglas tried to peek inside, the edge of the door brushed up against his glasses. Although he didn't get to see much because of the small door crack and the odd angle he was looking into the room, there was no mistake regarding the sound that had caught his attention earlier. Karen was crying silent muffled sobs, heaving for air with an uneven breath. Waiting for a small minute, Douglas grip on the door handle coiled itself into a death grip trembling with tension before he made an O shape with his lips and took a few quick mouthfuls of breath before stepping into the bedroom on quiet feet. Turning his eyes towards the source of the sound, Douglas saw Karen slumping down on the floor by the end of her bed still in her Power Girl outfit, though she'd removed her red cape, clutching it in her hands while burying her face into its fabric as she rested her head on the bed. Ragged sobs made her shoulder tremble and she let out these high pitched, tormented squeals as she shook her head furiously from side to side, ruffling up her short blonde hair. 

"K-Karen?" Douglas called out to her in a small, soft voice as he went down on one knee, timidly reaching for one of her shoulders with his hand. 

Karen froze stiff as a block of ice at the sound of his voice, it was as if he could feel her coldness oozing from her rigid frame with the palm of his hand, even though he hadn't even touched her yet. She turned her head to face him, her face an utter mess of tears, lips trembling and bloodshot eyes moist from a torrent of tears. Karen looked so tiny, so fragile, like an injured and helpless little bird that could fit in the palm of Douglas' hand. Hollow squeaks came out from her mouth, incoherent words that escaped all meaning. Douglas inched a little closer, offering open arms to Karen and after a moment of hesitation, she folded her strong arms around his slim shoulders, one clenched fist holding on to her cape for dear life. When the wailing came, Douglas just acted by his gut feeling; patting the back of her head softly with one hand while running the palm of his other hand gently up and down her back where he could feel her trembling breath as she buried her face into his shoulder to muffle her own cries. 

Time appeared to lose all meaning, Douglas simply stayed with Karen until she calmed down. When she finally pushed herself away from him, her expression was still somber and deeply troubled. Douglas couldn't help but wonder what could have happened out there that made Karen break down like that? Rather than pressing the issue with some tactless question, Douglas sat down on the floor with Karen, folding his legs in front of him, waiting patiently for whatever would come next. Sure they had their differences, but Douglas wasn't that heartless that he'd leave Karen alone to cry in an empty room, though it could be argued that some people liked to have that kind of space and privacy. Thankfully Karen wasn't one of those people, or Douglas feared that their relationship would have deteriorated even further. 

"There... uh, there was an accident." Karen sniffed, making a vague hand gesture in the general direction of north. "Up, up in uh... Finland. I was heading home after a trip to Russia." 

"I was the... the first on the scene." She carried on, her voice cracking. "Car accident. Young man... he got... uh into the wrong lane and... ohm." 

"Hit a semi-trailer truck that... y'know, was going in the opposite direction." Karen took some deep breaths in an effort to collect her composure, wiping away a stray tear from her cheek. "So... I... you know, pried up the car, or what was left of it and..." 

Karen's voice cracked, her tone shot up several octaves and the bone chilling squeals returned. Her breath became more rapid, she gulped and swallowed mouthfuls of air, then brought the clenched fist that still clung on to her cape to her mouth, sinking her teeth into it as her eyes squinted out more tears. Douglas reached out with a timid and hesitant hand, gently stroking the side of one of her shoulders. Karen's head bobbed up and down with a series of short, rapid nods, sniffing deeply as if trying to swallow all the snot in her nose. 

"He died Doug... he bled out in my arms." Karen squeaked out, her face beet red from the crying. "He... he... he looked just like you, just a few years older." 

"I beg... I pleaded in 62 different languages that he... shouldn't quit... That he'd... stay... with me..." Karen's wails came back in full force. 

"You don't have to worry Karen, I'm not go..." Douglas started to speak, trying to come up with some clever, comforting words, but could not finish talking as Karen sealed his mouth with hers. 

Taken aback by the sudden turn of events, Douglas tried to pull back and away from the salty tasting kiss, though Karen just followed him before she folded her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Karen twisted her head around, her lips never straying far from Douglas', the sides of their noses brushing against one another as Karen shifted from side to side, stealing a little taste or two of the inside of his lips with her tongue. Never been kissed on the mouth in his life, Douglas response was not really that of an experienced lover. If anything he tried to shut out Karen's tongue, to which she responded with an annoyed and muffled grunt through her nose. Finally the initial shock and surprise subsided and Douglas planted one firm hand on the top of either of Karen's shoulder's and pushed away as hard as he could. Karen on the other hand, didn't budge and continued to indulge herself with tasting Douglas. 

When the kiss did break off, a silver thread of salvia hung between them for a brief second before it broke. Karen ran her arms away from Douglas neck and cupped his in her glove clad hands. Douglas wanted to speak up again, but Karen put her index finger over his lips, giving him a soft ssshh sound before she rose to her feet, holding Douglas' hands in hers and pulling him up and tightly into herself. Sliding one arm under his, she caressed the back of his shoulder blades and lower back with slow, circular movements, keeping her fingers as spread out as possible while she bit down on the tip of the glove that covered her other hand. Once the glove came off, she ran her fingers through Douglas' hair, smiling affectionately at him. 

"When I first saw you, I saw love. And the first time you touched me, I felt love." Karen said, her soft and affectionate smile widening to an honest grin. "And after all this time, you're still the one I love." 

Douglas could just look at Karen's face like some dumbstruck fool straight out of a cartoon, complete with the jaw dropping as far down as it would go. Never had he ever seen her so honest, so transparent before. Always a guard, always holding back, always a secret; if it wasn't her material wealth, it was her true identity, if it wasn't that, it was her emotions, her feelings for him. Still with a clever, sensual smile on her lips, Karen took a step backwards, then another until the back of her feet hit the edge of the bed and she dived backwards, pulling Douglas down with her. The mattress bounced while the wood in the bed creaked as Karen and Douglas rode off the ebbing bonces from the mattress, her frame cushioning the fall for Douglas. The two of them laid there quietly for a small minute before Douglas peered quietly up at Karen from underneath her breasts and after giving him a clever little smile at the corner of her mouth, Karen shifted her legs a little so that Douglas slipped down and between them and as a nice little bonus she kicked off her boots. 

Sitting up a little, enough to rest her partially arched back on her elbows, Karen simply couldn't get that clever, beautiful smile wiped of her face. Not that Douglas was complaining, Karen looked simply stunning, there was an honest and natural attraction to her that simply shined through her clear blue eyes, overshadowing the fact that they were still bloodshot from all the crying. Perhaps it was from knowing that Karen had been so far down and now, she was so high up on cloud #9 that there was simply no stopping her. She made an empty kiss into the air, beckoning Douglas to come to her and give her the intimacy that she'd been longing for. Nervously he pushed himself up on his hands and knees, inching forward like a new born horse taking its first steps into a brand new world, clumsily planting one palm flat on Karen's breast. Its warm and soft texture seeped through between his fingers, Douglas' eyes shot down to the back of his hand and then back up at Karen with a horrified expression on his face. Karen just smiled at him and giggled, her laugher merry and contagious. 

Sliding his hand off Karen's breast to its side, Douglas found support on the mattress below and puckered his lips in a childish effort to kiss her. She softly shook her head while giggling, but rewarded him with a kiss nonetheless. Moist sounds of two people tasting each other started to fill the quiet room, Karen tracing the jawline to Douglas, leading him on with two gentle fingers for him to go sideways from her lips and down the side of her neck. Douglas followed suit, his slow warm breath escaping from parted lips as he dotted Karen's cheek and the underside of her jawline with soft, moist kisses like a painter gently dabbing a large brush on a painting. Karen gave an approving moan, running a hand from the back of Douglas neck upwards, through his hair, giving him a gentle push to guide him down the best path. With Douglas' ear close to her mouth, Karen saw her chance to give his ear lobe a faint bite, just barely closing her teeth around it and let it run between them. 

Douglas drew a sharp breath and stopped with his kisses. He could feel Karen pausing as well, each hesitant, feeling the other one out. In the end he pulled away from Karen's blushed neck and looked her in the face, his eyes serious yet his face troubled. Karen's blue eyes in returned ran over his face, reading it carefully as if decoding the meaning and intent behind its expression. She let out a deep, slow sigh that tickled against Douglas' skin before she smiled and nodded knowingly. Placing one hand on his shoulder, Karen gave him a gentle nudge and she sat up straight as Douglas pulled back to give her some space. Reaching down she unbuckled her belt and tossed it out of the bed, its metal buckle clinking against the bedroom floor. Pulling back her legs, Karen folded them gracefully on her left hand side as she rested her weight on her right arm. 

"Uhm... I'm a virgin, so I... uh..." Douglas mumbled with a low, embarrassed tone. 

"It's alright Douglas, don't worry about it." Karen assured him before she gave the back of her neck a few gentle taps with her fingers. "Undo my suit for me?" 

Still crawling around on his hands and knees, Douglas shuffled around and took a seat behind Karen before he tilted his head and adjusted his glasses a little as he studied the unlocking mechanism of Power Girl's suit. Karen's slim fingers had peeled back some extra fabric to reveal what appeared at a glance to be similar to a zipper, though rather than pulling it down in a straight line, he had to wiggle and twist it from left to right as if climbing down a set of stairs. Hearing Douglas grunt a little in frustration as he fiddled with the mechanism while being careful not to hurt, or at least not bring any discomfort to Karen made her sniffle a chuckle in the palm of her hand. Once the neck piece opened up, the rest of the suit opened up simply by gently pulling the two sides apart, splitting aside like a regular zipper, even if one could not be seen at the edges of the fabric. 

Karen's back looked so much different up close and naked compared to what it had appeared to Douglas when he first saw her crying by the bed. Well trained, defined muscles and a few spots as large as Douglas' hand barely glinting with a thin, thin layer of sweat. Sliding his fingers between the snow white fabric of the suit and Karen's skin, Douglas spread out his hands, running them with a soft and slow movement across her shoulder blades, to either side, his thumbs just narrowly missing her armpits and outer most tip of his fingers felt the side of Karen's breasts. The soft massage gave Karen shivers and she squirmed a little Douglas arms, crooking her neck to the side as if to break off the chill from reaching her head. Retracting his hands back to Karen's shoulder blades, sliding them down to her lower back, peeling away the suit as he went downwards and then bending his fingers a little, rushed across over her back, his fingernails softly scraping her skin before he stopped at the top of her shoulders. 

A surprised gasp escaped Karen's lips before she turned her head and gave Douglas an affectionate nudge with her cheek as she moaned out a giggle of approval. Douglas looked back at Karen, his eyes had a confident sparkle to them and a pleasant looking smile smeared all over his face. His hands started running sideways off Karen's shoulders, down along every crock and cranny of her muscular arms. As Douglas had to stretch downwards to reach all the way to the wrists, he resumed dotting Karen's neckline, shoulder and upper arm with soft, moist kisses. Tilting her head from side to side, Karen let Douglas keep showering her with soft kisses at the back and sides of her neck while she used her hands to wiggle free from the long arms of her suit. 

With the suit hanging loosely around her hips, Karen gave Douglas' head a soft caress as a subtle hint to make him stop with the kisses. She shifted a little around in her bed, stroking Douglas' cheek with her hand before fishing off his glasses and neatly folding them on her bedside table. Stealing a deep kiss from his lips, Karen's hands dived down and her fingers carefully coiled themselves around the lower edge of his sweater, rolling it upwards as she stole kiss after kiss from Douglas. Once the sweater came off over his head, Karen bundled it together like a ball and shot it off outside of the bed much like a basketball. As it made a muffled landing somewhere on the bedroom floor, Karen's fingers worked with a gentle patience unbuttoning the buttons on Douglas' shirt before pulling it aside much like one would pull aside a set of curtains. 

His frame was slim and on the pale side from last years winter, though Karen simply embraced him, folding her arms around the back of his neck, letting her hands slip down inside the back of his shirt. Returning the favour, Karen let her hands peel of Douglas' shirt by sliding it off his shoulders with her hands stroking his skin. Her kisses had a gentle hint of teeth to them, just as she worked her way downwards, pulling the shirt along with her, Karen's kisses let the edges of her teeth bruise faintly against Douglas neck, ear lobe, shoulder and upper arm. Pulling his hands free from the sleeves of his shirt, Karen again tossed Douglas' shirt aside before sneaking in another kiss on his mouth. 

Holding the kiss in place, Karen's hand found Douglas' and guided it to her breast. She'd not commented on it, but Douglas' hands were a little on the cold side. Not that it mattered, it felt good; chillingly relaxing, a nice contrast to her already heated skin. Unsurprisingly Douglas' other hand didn't waste much time cupping Karen's other breast, simply holding it gently in place, faintly testing its weight before settling in with a barely noticeable counter clockwise massage with his thumb. They continued to exchange kisses, sliding away from their lips to slide up and down the neckline only to resume tasting each others lips once more. Karen's breath started to get deeper, the warm air from her nostrils danced and brushed against Douglas' cheeks, moans and a quick chuckle slipped through her kisses while her hands undid the belt, button and zipper of his pants. 

Placing two fingers on Douglas' lips to make him stop his seemingly never-ending shower of kisses, Karen spun her legs around, away from him and raised them straight towards the celling, lying on the back of her shoulders and neck, then pulling off her white Power Girl suit before dropping it on the bedroom floor. Douglas followed suit, standing up on his knees and pulled down his pants before shifting around so that he could get them off completely. Tucking a crocked finger inside the elastic band on Douglas' underwear, Karen gave him a sly smile as she gave the band a few light tugs before letting it go with a small, yet satisfying smack. Obviously taking the hint, Douglas tucked his thumbs inside his underwear and slid them off, though it was clear on his face that he was getting very self-conscious about his body at this point. 

Karen lied down on her side, patted the mattress beside her and as Douglas lied down next to her, she pulled him into a comfortable snuggle, both letting their hands run over the other, exploring each other's bodies through delicate touches and soft brushes. As Douglas' fingers started to brush up against Karen's womanhood, she tensed up and folder her fingers around his wrist, steering him towards her sensitive spots. He squinted his eyes at her face, trying to see clearer if she was in fact enjoying his touch, though as soon as he touch a good spot Karen moaned and gritted her teeth as if using them like prison bars to keep a low throat groan back. Exploring Karen's vagina with his fingers, Douglas felt moisture building up in his hand, initially dismissing it as simple palm sweat, because yes it was rather warm between her thighs, it took a good minute before a rather distinguishable smell that started to override the smell of sweat that he realized what the moisture really was. 

Tensing up and groaning, Karen pushed Douglas away and pulled away his hand. Now with a little distance between his and Karen's face, he noticed that she was blushing, flustered and her hair was moist with sweat. Smiling and giggling, Karen rested on her elbow, still lying on her side. Alternating between her fingers, she drew several different lines of sweat across Douglas' chest, stomach, doing a little circle around his bellybutton and let all four fingers spread out as they slid through his pubes. Using her wrist, Karen's hand coiled around, carefully avoiding the grand price and instead settled with giving his testicles a series of light tapping's with her fingers, as if she was drumming on a table. Happy with Douglas' squirming and wiggling around in the bed as a response, Karen smiled before she raised on leg and placed it over Douglas' legs, then rolled up and saddled him. 

"Just relax, I'll guide you through round one." Karen smiled, reaching down to the base of Douglas' manhood and adjusted it a little before lowering her hips a precious few inches. 

"Holy...!" Douglas reached for the bedsheets, warm and damp with their sweat, his hands curling up to trembling fists that held on for dear life. 

"Language..." Karen teased with that beautiful, honest smile of hers as she rested her hands against her lower back and slowly slid further and further down. 

A warm, moist and soft embrace surrounded Douglas' manhood and whenever he peeked up over his chest, he could clearly see himself inside Karen and looking further up he could see her in all her naked glory. Not that he had much to compare it to, but this sensation was easily off the goddamn charts. There were no charts that could ever begin to comprehend, let alone measure this feeling he felt right now. Taking sharp, rapid breaths he tried as best he could to stand on the breaks of his God given gut instinct; blow his load. Karen's hips had barely done one tenth of a counter clock swing when Douglas lost what little control he had and fired off everything he had, the feeling made Karen bite her lower lip as she arched her back, pressing her breasts forward and up. 

Lost in her own little moment, Karen was brought back down to Earth and a sound that came across as horrible in her ears; crying. Looking down at Douglas as he laid flat on his back, his face hid behind the back of his hand, tears streaming down his cheeks, intermixing with his sweat. Terrified, Karen pulled her weight on her knees as she went down on all fours, bring her own face close to Douglas, trying to peel aside his hand. 

"Douglas, honey, what's the matter?" She asked, a worried tone to her voice that flared up as Douglas actually slapped her hand. "Are you hurt, Doug? Look at me. Douglas? Look at me!" 

Karen's temper flared up as she grabbed both of Douglas' wrist and pulled them aside so they were face to face, mere inches apart. She looked at his face intensely, the blue irises in her eyes glowing, then up and down his chest, arms and wrists, before looking downward towards his pelvis. A sigh of relief sounded from her parted lips, letting go of Douglas' wrists before she unsaddled him and laid down carefully by his side, holding her head up with her right hand. With her free hand, she let the tip of her fingers gently brush up against the small patch of chest hair that Douglas had while patiently waiting for him to calm down. At least there was comfort knowing that she had not unintentionally hurt him. Over time, Douglas sobs grew more and more apart, yet he wouldn't face her as he started talking. 

"I messed up, didn't I?" He said, sniffing and half tempted to turn his full back to Karen. 

"Now what gave you that idea?" Karen frowned, though she did have her suspicions. 

"I... I... didn't... ugh..." Douglas struggled with the words, swallowing. "…last... very long." 

"Oh Doug..." Karen sighed, poking the back of his head with her finger. "THAT should be the least of your worries." 

"But, but..." Douglas started to protest, even trying to swat away Karen's poking finger. 

"Things like that comes with practice." Karen assured him, careful to avoid his swatting hand. "Besides, I didn't do it because I wanted to get off." She added, getting out of bed. 

"You didn't?" Douglas asked with a puzzled expression on his face, half turning around, looking over his shoulder. 

"Doug, if I want to get off, I use Mr buzzer in the bedside table drawer." Karen stated in a matter of fact tone of voice as she swiped her vagina clean with some paper tissue she had in the bedside table drawer. 

"Then why...?" Douglas puzzled expression shifted into a more flabbergasted one. 

"We'll cover that in the shower." Karen said firmly, pointing a finger in the direction of the bathroom. "Also you should go to the bathroom." 

Finding his underwear on the floor, Douglas quickly put them back on before he followed after Karen who paraded down the main hallway without wearing a single thread, just holding a small ball of used paper tissue in one hand. The chills started to set in to Douglas, even if he was still wearing his socks the tiles in the hallway felt like they were made of ice and he cast anxious glances over his shoulder and down at the glass front door. Hunching a little over in an effort to appear smaller and to keep warm, Douglas picked up his pace and half ran five-six steps to catch up to Karen, who'd already reached the guestroom door. The master bathroom was not all that different from the one that Douglas had, the main difference would be the white tiles that decorated the walls that was tastefully broken off by a single row of tiles with a blue flowery pattern on it, which was around the height of the door handle. In the left corner stood the shower cabinet, on the wall just next to it was a plain white door along with a massive wall mounted mirror and the bathroom counter, while the toilet sat in the corner opposite of the shower cabinet. 

"Oh right... we didn't use towels, did we?" Karen asked, standing with one foot inside the shower. "See if you can pee a little, I'll get the sheets." 

"Uh... why would I do that?" Douglas asked, turning around after Karen. 

"Urinary tract infection, you don't want it." Karen called over her shoulder as she left back to the master bedroom. 

Being up to his eyeballs in uncharted territory, Douglas figured that he'd be better off if he'd heed Karen's advice as it was painfully obvious she had at the very least some idea of what she was doing. Plumping down on the toilet seat, Douglas rested his chin on his right hand as he sat there with his underwear around his ankles. The sounds of Karen stomping up and down the stairway to the second floor echoed through the walls before he could faintly hear the slamming and clacking of the washing machine door, then the gurgling sound of the water pipes before Karen walked back down to the ground floor and returned to the bathroom. Her whole body was coated in a layer of wet sweat, making the highlights of her curves glint in the bathroom lights while she stretched out one arm high over her head to get rid of some fatigue perhaps? 

"Mm? Done?" Karen asked, giving Douglas a small glance as she tried for a second time to enter the shower. 

"Uh... yeah, just a small stream though." He sheepishly admitted, wiping off, flushing and pulling up his underwear in a hurry. 

"Good enough, now hurry up and join me." Karen said, motioning him over. "The last thing you'll need now is catching a cold." 

Shyly Douglas stepped into the shower with Karen, it was a little on the tight side with two people in it, especially when one of them were as large as Karen, but it became apparent that they weren't going for a full scrub down. Rather Karen seemed to be more into a quick wash off and light shampooing of her hair. Standing under the shower head as it rained down comfortably warm water, the two did a light little dance inside the cabinet as they reached for the shampoo and tired to get the water to wash the tricky corners of their bodies. More than once their bodies bumped and brushed into one another, as if the visual stimuli of Karen's naked, trained and well curved body wasn't enough. It didn't take long before Douglas' member rose to attention yet again, though Karen didn't seem to mind or care. If anything she became a little more mindful with her legs as not to brush up against it. 

"Okay, I can't think of any better way to put this, so I'll just ask straight up." Douglas said, wiping water out of his face as he looked up at Karen. "What was that?" 

"Sex." Karen replied bluntly with a perfectly straight face as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"Ah come on Karen!" Douglas pouted. "You know what I mean." 

"Yes I do." She grinned at him a toothy grin, rubbing her hands through his hair as if scrubbing it thoroughly. "I just love teasing you." 

Rinsing out the last bit of shampoo, Karen turned of the water, making the bathroom fall silent save the dripping from the shower head and the water running down the shower drain. Her face became serious, a hand pulled her hair backwards and away from her face while she seemed to carefully weigh her words. Opening the cabinet door she stepped out and found herself a towel that she tossed to Douglas before she closed the door again, the fogged and wet glass reducing her frame to a skin coloured silhouette. Finding a towel for herself, Karen buried her face in it, running it over her head, drying her hair and then folding it around her chest. Douglas also dried himself down, though he was more thorough and after wiping down nearly every nook and cranny, the towel got folded around his hips and he stepped out of the shower. 

"You see, the thing is Douglas..." Karen started, walking around in the bathroom before looking at her own blurry reflection in the fogged up mirror. "I... I... uh... I want to have a child, your child to be specific." 

"Come again?" Douglas felt dizzy just hearing Karen's reasoning. 

"Child, baby, kid, pregnant, toddler, birth, the whole nine yards." Karen said, swiping the mirror partially clean from fog, eyeing Douglas' reflection in the clean swipe. "I want it and I want it to be yours." 

"Oh-kay..." Douglas said, nodding very slowly before he closed the toilet seat and sat down. "W-where did this come from?" 

"Since I first met you, back at the river, during the storm." Karen admitted in a small voice, lowering her head. "Well, that's not entirely true. I... felt something back then when I held you in my arms and over time as I kept meeting you, talking to you, I... this feeling kind of grew or bloomed or whatever into wanting to be the mother of your child." 

"Hang on there." Douglas objected, taking a small pause to gather is thoughts. "You've been going after me because of that? Both as Power..." 

"Please don't be mad Douglas." Karen whimpered out with a small voice. "I didn't mean or plan it to play out like this, but, but... I didn't. Honest." 

"Karen..." Douglas leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees and folded his hands in front of him. "I'm not mad, just confused. Help me understand, okay?" 

"Yeah, sure." She sniffed, her voice sounded a little cracked as if she'd swallowed her tears. "I was going to... originally just watch you, wait a few years and then date you as Karen Starr." 

Turning around, Karen rested her butt against the edge of the bathroom counter and folded her arms around her as if trying to keep a chill away. Her face was still serious or perhaps vulnerable was a better word for it. Karen's blonde bob of hair was a scattered, still moist mess on the top of her head, her clear, mesmerizing blue eyes partially covered by the angle of her head and a few loose strains of hair. The egg white towel outlined the overall curvature of her figure like a snug and fluffy evening dress that went just past her knees, her large breasts resting on top of her arms, slightly bulging over the top of the towel. 

"Then... your mother died. And... I was worried, scared even that you'd disappear into the system or something to that effect so..." Karen explained, reaching with one hand to scratch the side of her head. "I stepped up as your legal guardian and... still planned to wait a few years, then date, then have a baby." 

Planting one palm on her forehead, Karen smeared it down over her face before it stopped over her mouth. She closed her eyes and gently shook her head from side to side a few times. From behind her hand a smile started to creek past her fingers and Karen took a deep sigh. In for a penny, in for a pound, right? Straightening her shoulders a little, Karen raised her chin and looked Douglas straight in the eye. 

"With the grease fire things kind of went to shit." She admitted with a tilt of her head. "And last but not least... with your lookalike bleeding out in my arms in Finland, my original plan went to hell in a fruit basket." 

"And... you're fine with me?" Douglas asked after a long minute of silence. 

"I'm not just fine with you Douglas." Karen answered. "It HAS to be you. I don't spread my legs casually. Besides knowing that you were into me, or rather Power Girl, was a huge load of my chest to be honest." 

"Wait, you knew?" Douglas asked flustered, his face turning beet red. 

"Doug, you're a teenage boy who live under the same roof as a woman that can hear car keys rattle half across town." Karen reminded him. "Of course I knew, though as I said, I don't mind. Thank you for the compliment, if nothing else." 

"Okay... so like, what now?" Douglas asked, rising to his feet when all of the sudden the colour drained from his face. "Oh my God, we didn't use protection." 

"No we didn't. And we're not going to either." Karen told him rather firmly, starting towards the bathroom door. "It was quite the load, but I'd be surprised if we get it right on the first try." 

"Karen!" Douglas protested, embarrassed enough to light his ears on fire. 

"What? You probably haven't busted a nut in days, have you Doug?" Karen teased, poking the side of his head. "Too self-conscious to do it at home, eh? Well I suppose you could do a quickie at the school bathroom..." 

"Seriously though, what now?" Douglas put his hand over Karen's as she turned the door handle, looking up at her face. 

"Will you be the father of my children, Douglas?" Karen asked back, sounding more serious than he'd ever heard her before. 

"I suppose..." He replied hesitantly, looking away from Karen's serious eyes. "You did save my life, took me in after mom died and you're probably very lonely, right?" 

Karen slipped a bent finger under Douglas' chin and raised it up a little so she could kiss him. It was a sweet, light kiss on the lips intertwined by the smell of Karen's shampoo. She broke of the kiss, sniffing a little and swiped away a stray tear from her cheek. 

"Thank you Douglas. I never hoped you'd understand me so well, but you do." She smiled at him, eyes wet with tears. "You really do."


	6. Living the Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Douglas settles in as Power Girl's lover as they make a continuous effort to have a child together. He finds it disheartening that he cannot bring Power Girl to orgasm, even if she assures him it is not as important as getting pregnant. Kris and Eddie start to notice subtle changes in Douglas.

Comfortably warm water washed out the shampoo from Douglas hair as the hairdresser’s fingers gave his scalp a firm massage, making his head bob around on the edge of the sink. The hair saloon was a blurry mess to Douglas and it would stay like that, at least until he put his glasses back on. In the chair just right of him, sat Karen going through a similar treatment, her blonde hair covered in a creamy cloud of soap. Going to the hairdresser to get a wash and cut was not really the first thing that came to Douglas’ mind when going out on a date. Sure, he could agree that it was a vital part of the preparations for a date, but as a part of the date itself? 

“Right this way sir,” the hairdresser gestured towards a chair standing in front of a tall, slim wall mounted mirror after she was done drying Douglas’ hair with a towel. 

The chair itself didn’t come into focus until Douglas was standing right next to it and as soon as he was seated, he put his glasses on the desk in front of him before the hairdresser folded a wine white cape around Douglas’ neck. As he settled in his seat, Douglas caught the blurry outline of Karen’s frame as she took her seat next to him, before his hairdresser gently made him face straight ahead. Karen sounded like she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, the leather in her chair shifting and sighing under her movements. 

“Any special requests ma’am?” Karen’s hairdresser asked, his tone polite and soft to the ear. 

“Just trim the top and neck please,” she said still fidgeting a little in her seat, “and try not to give me Dumbo ears.” 

Douglas let a faint chuckle get the better of him and he could almost instantly feel the heat of Karen’s disapproving frown on his cheek. He just shrugged a little as if silently justifying to Karen that it was a funny image that had creeped into his head. The two sat still for several long minutes, the snipping of scissors and low light pop tunes filling the small hair salon. Still unable to get the mental image out of his head, Douglas cast Karen a sideways glance before he said “Dumbo ears?” 

“South Africa, ’86,” Karen grumbled, her annoyance kept at a low simmer, “she was unusually eager and quick with those scissors.” 

“Right,” Douglas nodded a little before his hairdresser held his head still. 

After paying for the haircut the duo went for a casual stroll, heading in the general direction of stareplex, the local cinema. Douglas found himself tagging about a step behind Karen, his eyes almost automatically drawn to the bookstore across the street before a reflection in the paramedics store made him aware of the height difference between him and Karen. As they arrived at the cinema, Douglas got to see a new side of Karen. 

“Aww yes, they weren’t just jerking my chain,” she said, her face lit up with excitement. 

“What are we watching?” Douglas asked, only mildly interested as he subscribed to the idea that the book was generally better than the movie adaptation. 

“A modern classic,” Karen said enthusiastically, pointing at the poster before she turned her attention to the clerk, “two please.” 

“Predators? We’re watching a monster flick?” Douglas did his best to hold back a groan. 

“Now, now Douglas,” she told him as she wiggled a finger at him, “don’t dismiss it so easily just because it isn’t the original.” 

Douglas found himself at a loss for words as he watched Karen buzz around the cinema like a Duracell bunny powered by a nuclear reactor, scooping up soda, snacks and the biggest bucket of popcorn they had on the menu. Granted he didn’t care much for movies in general, let alone the ones whose main selling point was cheap gore, but there was no denying that Karen’s bubbling enthusiasm did rub off on him. Douglas might not enjoy the movie, but by the looks of things he’ll get more than enough entertainment watching Karen in a very different element. 

After the movie, which didn’t deliver as promised as far as Douglas was concerned, Karen had worked up quite the appetite. As a result, she promptly declared that they should head over to the nearby buffet place without delay, while Douglas tried to understand how Karen could still be hungry after all that snack, soda and popcorn. The walk over to the buffet was littered with Karen’s Arnold impressions, covering a wide range of cheesy quotes from the original Predator movie. ‘Get to da choppa’ was of course mandatory and while Karen managed to deliver the line with an impressive accent, she thankfully didn’t give it volume to match. 

“Yes, I’d like,” Karen started telling the waiter her order, running her finger down along the menu, “the large spare ribs, with baked potatoes aaand cheese- no bacon burger, please.” 

“And you, sir?” the waiter asked, jotting down Karen’s order. 

“I’d like the pulled pork sandwich, please,” Douglas replied, pointing out on the menu that he wanted the smaller option. 

“So I’ve been wondering about something,” Douglas said, leaning in over the table, “just how does the haircut work?” 

Karen rested one elbow on the table, peering over her shoulder as if making sure the coast was clear, before her words came out soft and hushed, “You remember that morning jog I took today?” Douglas nodded, inching closer, “Drained my power reserves.” 

“From just a jog?” Douglas looked skeptical, then again what did he know about Kryptonian physiology? 

“No silly,” Karen tossed a napkin at his face, “I blasted the Ohio River with my heat vision, full throttle. Without my power reserves, I’m as ‘fragile’ as a human of my size and build. No offense.” 

“Oh…” Douglas said, letting it sink in. “Isn’t that risky? I mean, if someone saw you…” 

“They’d see Power Girl doing some weird stuff at 5 o’clock in the morning before she walked off into the trees.” Karen said, leaning back in her seat. “Then I change back to a more suitable attire and jog back home.” 

“You don’t jog both ways?” he asked. 

“When you go at 600 mph, you don’t get much of a jog, not for that kind of distance anyway,” she told him, giving the waiter a polite smile as the dishes were put on their table. 

After Karen was done wolfing down her meal and helping herself with a large banana split for desert, they did some casual window shopping on their way back home. Apparently whenever she was low on power, Karen’s appetite shot through the roof and settled somewhere in low orbit around Jupiter. Thankfully it didn’t happen that often, only once every two months or so. Basically whenever Karen felt the need to fresh herself up, the cookie monster as she called it, woke from its slumber. 

“So then, for the sake of good manners Kris decided to-” Douglas was retelling a story from his junior high school days, when he noticed that Karen had gotten silent and distant. “Karen?” 

“Just curious, are you tired?” she asked. 

“No, not really,” Douglas admitted, “the walk back from the buffet was refreshing.” 

“Good,” she smiled before she walked up to him and cupped his chin in her hands, kissing him deeply. 

“Uh, you sure don’t beat around the bush, do you?” Douglas said, licking his lips when the kiss finally broke off. 

“Am I too pushy? We don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know?” she said, her voice wrapped in a veil of concern. 

“I wouldn’t say pushy,” Douglas out his hand on hers, “direct is a better word, though I don’t mind. We were on a date after all.” 

The two of them, holding hands, retreated to the guest room as if making an unconscious compromise between their own bedrooms at opposite ends of the mansion. Karen, walking one step ahead of Douglas, guided him towards the double bed, holding his hand and tugging him along. Taking a seat on the bed, they exchanged kisses while letting their fingers gently bruise against each others faces. Soft, wet kisses gradually escalated to longer, deeper taste samples and their hands started gliding away from their faces, chasing along the curves of their bodies instead. 

She took a pause, taking deep breaths to calm herself and tasting her lips. Douglas’ hands ran over her breasts and down to the edge of her turtleneck jumper. With a titled head and a sly smile, Karen raised her arms over her head and he pulled it off her. She inched further into the bed and laid down on her back, beckoning Douglas to her. He removed his glasses, putting them aside on the bed side table before he scooted over by her side. Turning his attention to the button and zipper on her jeans, Douglas flipped over her jersey top and blew a loud raspberry on her naked stomach. 

Karen squirmed and giggled, jokingly slapping him at the top of his head to make him stop. Her rich laughter, masked behind the bangs of her hair only encouraged him further. With her thighs bending towards her pelvis, Douglas found it to be a real struggle to undo the button on her jeans. Finally cutting Karen some slack, he rested his head on her belly, glancing up underneath her jersey. Her breasts were hidden behind the plain black cups of her bra, while her partially undone jeans revealed skin colored half-string briefs. 

He felt one of Karen’s fingers tracing the back of his leg, making a small ice skating dance on one of his butt cheeks. She slipped her hand up underneath his sweater, the tip of her fingers sailing upwards before Karen bent them like talons, scraping their way down again. Douglas shifted around on the bed and focused his attention on Karen’s jeans, inching them down her lovely legs. Starting on her knee, he placed soft, moist kisses as he spiraled down towards the golden valley hidden behind a thin veil of fabric. 

Poking the fabric with the tip of his nose, Douglas could hear Karen shift around in the bed as his breath brushed against her entrance. Sliding the fabric aside, he held it in place while stroking the side of her thigh with a slow, steady and soft touch – stopping at the edge of her lips, before retracting several inches. All along, his warm breath kept washing over like steady waves of a soothing breeze. 

As the smell of sweat started to tickle his nostrils, Douglas pulled back and put his hands on Karen’s underwear, but froze as she put her hands on top of his. She looked up at him, her eyes rich with words that didn’t need any sound to be spoken and he was drawn to them. Sliding between her bent legs, Douglas leaned forward and tasted Karen’s inviting lips deeply as time started to lose its usual steady flow. 

Karen’s hands got busy undoing Douglas’ pants, impatient and annoyed hands yanked his belt out of the way. Her breath was deeper, uneven and she took gasps of air whenever there was a break in the kissing. Douglas member stood up like a tent pole in his underwear, straining the fabric and poking the underside of the elastic band. An elegant maneuver later and Karen let it spring free from its confinement, bobbing up and down enthusiastically. 

Coiling her fingers gently around Douglas’ member, Karen used her free hand to push her own underwear clear, retorting to some mild leg acrobatics to get it fully out of the way. Tactfully she followed through with her leg acrobatics and folded one leg around his lower back, pushing him closer while at the same time guiding him inside. The warm and moist embrace of Karen’s inside felt different this time around, though Douglas couldn’t tell whether this was because Karen was more vulnerable now or because he was at the very least a little bit more experienced than last time. 

There was an impatient nudging from Karen’s hips as they rose to meet Douglas’ and he let out a soft groan as he curled his toes in an effort not to shoot off right out the gate. Karen’s second leg, with her underwear dangling around just above her knee, completed his entrapment and she started to move underneath him. Determined not to let it end like last time, Douglas figured his best bet was to somehow take charge of the situation and pace himself. 

Stabilizing his position over Karen he started to return her thrusts, almost immediately felt that she eased up on her legs pushing against his lower back. Resting his elbows, Douglas brushed the hair away from Karen’s face, her left eye masked behind a colored contact lens. With his hands free, Douglas cupped Karen’s breasts, fondling them with affection and care. Despite his best effort to pace himself and find a rhythm he could endure for the long term, Douglas felt the pressure building inside him and it didn’t take long before he released it all inside Karen. 

As the strength drained out of him, Douglas sunk down, resting his head on Karen’s chest. Soothingly she covered her arms around him, running her fingers through the back of his hair. For the longest time, the only sound in the room was their breathing; slowly calming from an aroused panting to a comfortable, almost sleep like breathing. Douglas wished he was a million miles away from the bed, the room, the manor and most of all, Karen. 

“I’m-” he said, lifting himself up from Karen, “-sorry.” 

“About what?” 

“I- mean, my-” Douglas pulled back and rolled over to his side, “I’m rather pathetic, aren’t I?” 

“Oh, Doug, Doug, Doug,” Karen sighed, then sat up, “You don’t have to worry about it, okay? Hey, it’s okay.” 

“But isn’t it this supposed to be enjoyable for both of us?” 

“Yeeah,” she agreed, dragging her word, “and who says I’m not enjoying it?” 

“You do?” 

“Doug, sweetie… I share the most-” she struggled to find the words, “intimate act two people can with you, and you alone.” 

“Yeah, but-” 

“No, no more buts,” she said, poking his cheek with her finger, “You’ve spent all buts for today. If it makes you feel any better, I am a tough customer. I can count the guys that had gotten me off on one hand and still have fingers to spare.” 

“Is your Mr. Buzzer on that list?” 

“Even if it is, it doesn’t matter,” she said leaning in for a kiss, “because it’s not you.” 

After a refreshing shower, Karen sorted out the bed sheets, since they yet again had forgotten about the towels. Douglas took his time in the shower, still feeling like he'd somehow failed to do his part. Karen had stressed that they should take their time and it would work out as they got more familiar with one another. Even if, however unlikely, they weren't a perfect match in bed, as long as she got pregnant, Karen would be content. As far as she was concerned, that took priority over all else. 

"Douglas!" Karen called from upstairs, "Phone call for you." 

Climbing the stairs to the second floor, Douglas found Karen in her office standing by the desk, holding out the phone handle to him. As he picked up the phone, Karen turned her attention back to her laptop which showed an Excel spreadsheet so complex it looked like a condensed version of the theory of everything. 

"Pam's birthday? Oh... I- I totally forgot about that," Douglas said. 

Kris who was on the other end, sounded surprised as she said, "Really? You're usually the one that reminds us. Anyways, you're coming?" 

"Uh..." he glanced over at Karen, "yeah, I guess so. Just let me check." 

"What is it Doug?" Karen didn't look up from her spreadsheet. 

"I was wondering if you could give me a lift to Eddie's tomorrow." Douglas said, covering the speaking end of the phone with his hand, "It's his little sister's birthday." 

"A bit short notice, but we'll work something out," she said, jotting in some new values into her computer. 

"Yeah, Kris? I'll be over no problem, Karen will give me a lift," he said as he jotted down the time when the party would start. 

Just before noon the following day, Douglas got ready for the party while still struggling to wrap his head around what Karen had meant by ‘work something out.’ Since the invitation came on such short notice, Karen had flown over to California, bought Rihanna's latest album and got her to sign it. All this because Douglas blurted out that Pam was a fan of Rihanna and it was the first thing that came to his mind as far as present went. With CD neatly wrapped up and one final check in the mirror to make sure that his bow-tie was straight, Douglas headed outside. 

“All set?” Karen asked, leaning against a Range Rover parked in the driveway. 

“Another car? What about th-“ 

Holding up one hand in protest, Karen said, “I know, I know. Even when fully assembled it still won’t start. Just give it a rest, all right?” 

“Sure, whatever you say,” Douglas couldn’t help but smile. 

Pam’s party was not really Douglas scene, though it was a nice change of scenery if nothing else. Eddie’s house was a block away from Douglas’ old home and was a nice looking two story brick house with a separate garage. First floor consisted of an open living room and kitchen solution, along with a small bathroom and a washing room just next to the kitchen. The second floor sported three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was a very nice fit for a family of four, though as of late Pam had been starting making an issue of sharing bathroom with her older brother. 

Douglas’ gift to Pam was a massive success, even if she already had a copy of the album. Kris and her band mates played some cover songs in the back yard, while Eddie didn’t get a breather until after the pizzas arrived. Twelve and thirteen year old girls can get very nagging, especially when they travel in packs. Not that he seemed to mind, it was after all Pam’s big day. As Pam and her friends danced and had a good time to the band’s live performance, Douglas and Eddie retreated to slowly start doing the dishes. At least that was the official reasoning, though Douglas suspected that Eddie had his fill and then some for Rihanna cover songs. 

“So everything in the dishwasher is dirty?” Douglas asked, rinsing another plate. 

“Uh, yeah,” Eddie struggled with the fifth cardboard pizza box, getting it to fit to the trash, “Just fill it up and I’ll start it up.” 

“So Doug, how’re things on your end?” Eddie said. 

Shrugging, Douglas said “Pretty much the same old really. Anything exciting happening in your life?” 

“Well, Kris is up in arms to hit the road with her band mates,” he said wiping his hands with a napkin, “though the rest of the band are kinda dragging their feet, so there’s tension in the air.” 

“Well that doesn’t sound nice. Think there will be a bolt of lightning anytime soon?” 

“Pfft, more like a full on thunderstorm.” 

Just as Douglas put away the last glass, Kris came into the kitchen. She went straight for the fridge and helped herself to a soda, more or less chugging it down in one go. Douglas and Eddie just exchanged glances before Eddie carefully tip toed out of the kitchen to put away the trash. A few of Kris’ band mates came in and asked for directions to the bathroom and it was clear from their interaction that it was not all sunshine and rainbows. 

“So… you’re gonna hit the road, Kris?” Douglas said, going through the various closets in the kitchen, hoping to find the soap for the dishwasher. 

Kris sighed, “Oh God, that’s right. You’ve been out of the loop.” 

“Eddie gave me the basics, if you don’t want to talk about it-” 

“Sometimes I wish Eddie would just shut up.” 

Douglas bit his lower lip, “We’re just catching up Kris, I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it.” 

Frowning and crossing her arms over her chest, Kris said, “Speaking of catching up, you seem different.” 

“I do?” 

“Yeah, I mean… kinda hard to put my finger on it, but you’re like- sort of whatever.” 

“What are you getting at Kris?” 

The back door opened and Eddie came back in. A small moment later, Kris’ band mates came back from the bathroom and for a short minute there was a lot of traffic in the kitchen. Douglas caught his attention and gestured towards the dishwasher, prompting Eddie to find the soap and starting the right dishwashing program. As the machine started slushing around, Eddie gauged the mood of the room, his eyes shifting from Douglas and back to Kris. An awkward silent minute slithered by like an overfed anaconda before Kris broke it up. 

“Say Eddie,” she nudged her head towards Douglas, “notice anything different with Douglas?” 

Frowning, Eddie looked over at Douglas, “Not really. I mean, him and Ms. Starr looked real close when she dropped him off, but I guess that’s natural after getting used to each other, right?” 

“Is that so?” Kris raised an eyebrow in interest, eyeing Douglas. 

“Yeah, well- what did you expect?” Douglas straightened his shoulders. “We live together, Karen’s the closest thing I have to family now. Of course we’ll grow close.” 

Kris flipped out a thumbs up, her grin as wide as it was toothy as she said, “Good on ya sport. That’s gotta be one of the few times I’ve seen you stand your ground.” 

“Yeah dude, good going,” Eddie chimed in, pulling his arm over Douglas’ neck, “looks like living with Ms. Starr has finally given you a pair of nuts of your own.” 

“Yeah, before you know it I’ll be banging Power Girl,” Douglas bit down on his lower lip as soon as the last word dashed out from his tongue, mentally kicking himself. 

Eddie and Kris on the other hand was so taken aback that they just let their faces be wide and long with amazement. Douglas, the dull and meek little bookworm talking about the ladies like any respectable teenager should. Even Kris, who’d normally be quick to gun down such far fetch fantasies with bleeding sarcasm, was at a loss for words. She just quietly mouthed an amazed ‘holy shit’ before raising her hands and walking out of the kitchen. 

“God DAMN, dude!” Eddie proceeded to give Douglas a real nuggie. “What the hell is Ms. Starr putting in your cereal bro? Damn, that’s some plutonium grade balls talk if I ever heard it.” 

Wrestling free from Eddie’s hold, Douglas straightened his glasses, “It’s the soda Eddie, sugar rush.” 

“Hey, whatever you say bro, whatever you say,” Eddie gave him a playful punch to the shoulder, “Just don’t let your dreams be only dreams, y’know?” 

A few hours later and the party came to an end. Pam’s friends got picked up by their parents, except for the two that had sleepover arrangements while Kris and her band mates packed their gear back into their van and drove off. Eddie stalled for going back into the house and waited out in the driveway with Douglas for Karen to arrive. As the spring sun set in the west, all that remained of the day was a thin orange streak just over the horizon that faded into a thin pale blue before the dark navy blue sky swallowed the heavens. Douglas looked up at the sky, tracking an airplane high up there and noticed that the first stars started blinked into the coming night. It was a tranquil moment, until Pam scared off the neighbor’s dog with ‘Pon De Replay’ on volume level 9000. Fun while it lasted, even if it was just a brief 5 seconds before Eddie’s dad called out from downstairs at the top of his lounges. Pam’s special day had indeed come to an end. 

Seeing Karen’s car rounding the corner, Eddie offered his hand as a fist bump, “Sleep tight bro.” 

“Yeah,” Douglas returned the bump, “don’t stay up all night browsing Power Girl YouTube videos, alright?” 

“Bitch please, you’re not my mom. Besides, today is fappy Friday.” 

With a much clearer image than he ever wanted in his head, Douglas headed for the car. On the drive back home, Karen and Douglas gave each other a summary of how their respective days had gone. Douglas started by confirming that the present was indeed a massive, near unprecedented success and that consequently Pam was officially in debt to her until the end of eternity. Then there was a quick recap of Kris’ band, who’d made quite good progress since last time he’d heard them perform and a brief mentioning of the drama therein. Douglas opted not to mention his accidental bragging about Power Girl, confident that neither Kris nor Eddie would ever mention it while Karen was present. Then again, Karen didn’t strictly speaking have to be in the room, let alone the house to overhear them. 

Karen on her end had a rather uneventful day. What little power she’d recharged after getting her hair done had mostly been ‘burned off’ when she flew at neck breaking speed to get Rihanna to sign a copy of her latest album. It was mentioned in the news that Power Girl had approached the artist while she was doing a photo shoot, but no other details were known. Karen felt confident that Rihanna would not divulged the nature of the visit, since celebrities valued privacy just as much, if not more than Karen. Regardless, the point that Karen was trying to make was that she’d been spending most of her day sunbathing instead of doing something productive, like trying to get the DeLorean fiasco project to actually work. 

Tossing the car keys aside on a table in the hallway, Karen said, “-and then I thought it’d be kinda cool to ask the students to help- build or repair the farm. Honest day work never hurt anyone, builds character and all that.” 

Douglas slowly tagged along with Karen down into the manor, smiling to himself. She noticed his eyes on her and her voice faded down as a shy smile curved her lips, “What?” 

“Oh, nothing. It’s just- I’m very fortunate to know you, that’s all.” 

“Oh-key…” 

“I mean, God I’m probably overtired,” he said, running his fingers back and forth over his forehead, “but you’re a beautiful person Karen, not just on the outside.” 

Karen pointed an accusing finger at him, “Are you trying to get into my pants with sweet talk?” 

“Uh, no ac-” 

“Because it’s totally working!” she smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him along with her down the hallway. 

With fast steps, Karen took Douglas back to his room where she promptly turned on her heel and started showering him with kisses. She held him close as her head twisted from side to side between kisses, breathing a hungry breath through her nose. He tried to get in a word, though found it challenging to talk as she tried to taste his tongue at every chance she got. Considering how many times stronger she was compared to him, even without her powers, Douglas realized that he’d be losing this battle unless he took a firm stand. In an effort to push her off him, his palms landed flat on her breasts. 

“Oooh… That’s awfully forward of you,” she moaned out, squirming a little. 

Seeing his window of opportunity he said, “Karen, Karen can we stop for just a minute?” 

“What is it?” 

“I-I’m sorry Karen, I really am, but I’m too tired.” 

“Oh… it’s okay. I- I’m sorry too, I guess-” her voice sank in volume, a fog of disappointment clouded her eyes, “I just assumed- I’m not sure what got over me there.” 

“It’s been a long day and…” the words tasted like sand, he felt like such an ungrateful little shit. 

“Ssshh…” Karen softly put a finger on his lips, “Come here Doug, it is okay, it is okay. Don’t worry about it, yeah?” 

Gently she folded her arms around him, kissing the top of his head softly before she rocked him from side to side. Karen was warm, the sound of her breathing was steady and soothing while faint hints of her perfume tickled his nose. As she so often did, Karen stroked his hair affectionately, letting it dance in-between her fingers in a gentle ballet. It was nice to stand like this, resting the weight of his fatigue on Karen’s tall and strong frame, basking in her warmth and feeling the soft love in her embrace. How many had seen this side of her? This loving and caring side of the Woman of Steel, who punched through rooftops to save those in need and was unfazed by criminals throwing molotov cocktails on her. 

“Are you sure you just wanna sleep?” the question came out like an LP player jumping of a soothing music track, “You do know you’re poking me with little Jr. right? Plus you’ve been cupping my boobs the whole time, just saying.” 

“I- Uhm.” 

“Just pulling your leg Doug,” Karen smiled at him, “Ah! You’re blushing, so cute!” 

Karen’s teasing was something he’d yet to grow used to, but he still felt that he should do something for her, so after a moment he said, “I suppose we… Uhm… could cuddle?” 

Karen gave him a warm smile and nodded as she took Douglas up on his offer without a second thought, possibly worried that he’d have a change of heart if she gave him a second too much to think over what he’d just said. While Douglas went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Karen stripped down to her panties and left her clothes in a messy pile on the floor before slipping underneath the covers in Douglas’ bed. He wanted to object, or rather suggest that they’d sleep in Karen’s room since she had the king size double bed, but the sight of Karen’s nearly naked body in the bathroom mirror made his already tired mind unable to form words, let alone sentences. 

Her body had this odd contradiction of masculine and feminine features, with the feminine features being just a little bit ahead of the masculine ones. Karen’s arms and legs were wrapped in defined muscles, the type you get from simply using your body actively from day to day, rather than the exaggerated muscles often seen in bodybuilders. Douglas never managed to wrap his head around the so-called holy trinity of women measurements; breasts, waist and hips so he was in no position to estimate Karen’s proportions. Regardless, her curves complimented her 6 feet muscular frame nicely, giving her the vibe of a woman despite the muscles. It was not difficult to see why Eddie and so many other guys along with some ladies were up in arms over Power Girl. 

Turning off the lights in the bathroom after stripping down to his boxers, Douglas started to get more and more nervous for each step he took closer to the bed. It was quite ridiculous, trying to remind himself that he and Karen had gone beyond this point before, and so there was nothing to be ashamed of or nervous about. He circled around the bed, Karen laid on her side and pulled open the duvet, inviting him in. Slipping underneath, his feet brushed against hers and she folded the duvet over him like a soft wing, her arm resting over his shoulder. He could feel her gentle, warm breath washing against the back of his neck like small waves against the shore. Creaking a little, the woodwork of the bed protested as she shifted a little, bending in and becoming the bigger spoon as her chest pressed on the back of his shoulders. 

“This is nice,” he said as he felt the mattress shaping to his body. 

“Ssshh… you’re spoiling the mood,” she chided him gently, her voice a soft whisper just a few inches away from his ear. 

Fishing out a free hand from underneath the duvet, he put it over her hand and softly stroked the top with his thumb. She let out a faint, approving moan, he could practically hear her smile. Taking in a deeper breath, her chest grew, pushing firmer against his back and she held it for a moment before letting out a long stream of warm breath tickle down his neck and over his ears. 

"It is a little cramped though.” 

“Doug…” she sighed, “What did I say about the mood?” 

“I’m just sayi-” 

“You better not call me fat buster, unless you want to sleep in the driveway,” there was a drowsy taste to her annoyed tone. 

Opting not to press his luck any further, Douglas kept quiet and just let the peace and quiet sink in over him. Aside from Karen’s slow and steady breathing the room was quieter than a library at night. There were some perks to live in a manor on a large property surrounded by a brick wall. As peaceful and quiet it was, it’s been years since Douglas had shared bed with anyone. Back when he was around 4-5 years old he’d seen a cartoon that was apparently a little too much and he’d crept in to his mother’s bed for comfort. Funny you’d start with something in the here and now, only to connect it to a small little speck in your memory and before you know it you’re riding the express train through memory lane. 

Memories of him and his mother played out on the cinema of Douglas’ mind, sounds and voices danced and waned around his hears. The first day at school, when Eddie was so loud and eager to make friends with him that it made Douglas hide behind his mother’s legs, crying. Some small memory about his school lunch urged him forward to a winter when his mother baked Christmas cookies and how his uncle told tall tales of how he was Santa’s best field agent, checking out who’d been naughty and who’d been nice. From the made up tales, Douglas memories ushered him onwards to him sitting on his uncle’s lap as he read him a book. Which one it was didn’t really matter, for it captured his imagination like nothing else and the long hours he had to wait for his mother to come home from work flew by as if they were seconds. 

“Douglas? What’s wrong?” Karen’s voice was soft, hiding behind a thin veil of worry. 

Sniffing, Douglas realized he had tears in his eyes, “Nothing, I- I just remember some stuff, about mom.” 

“It’s okay Douglas,” her legs inched a little closer to his and the tip of her nose poked gently at the back of his head, “there’s no shame in crying.” 

“I just miss her so much.” 

“Ssshh, ssshh. I know baby, I know. Ssshh.” 

Her arm folded tighter around him, close and firm without being suffocating. The warmth from her body melded with his and for a while he let the quiet sobs flow until he had no more tears to cry. Calming down and swatting away tears that still hung on to the side of his nose, he came to think about how often she’d done something similar. The moment when he’d found her in her bedroom crying played out in his mind, and he realized that there must have been plenty of times when she couldn’t save someone and could only offer comfort to those that made it. Her words that she’d spoken, about tearing open the car wreck with her bare hands reminded him just how strong she was and how gentle she was with him.

 

* * *

 

“So I've been thinking,” Douglas said, collecting his school bag after finishing breakfast the following Monday. 

“Mm? Thinking? And here I thought you wore that handsome head for decoration purposes only,” Karen mumbled as she adjusted the belt on her form-fitting suit. 

“Ha, ha, ha. Be nice Karen,” Douglas chided at her. “I've been thinking about getting my driver’s license.” 

“Oooh... I'm not too sure about that,” Karen sounded skeptical, worried even. 

“If you're worried that I'll end up like my Finnish lookalike, don't be,” Douglas assured her as he crossed the kitchen and headed for the main hallway. “Besides, what are the odds that something bad will happen?” 

“1:112 on average in America as of 2015,” Karen countered, following behind Douglas for the front door, tugging her left glove and wiggling her fingers to make it fit properly. “But I suppose I'll be your instructor so…” 

“If I'm not safe in a car with you riding shotgun, I'll never be,” Douglas argued her with a clever little smile. “So can we, pretty please?” 

“We'll have to see about that Douglas, I'll be gone for most of the week,” Karen said, letting out a sigh that hinted that it was one of those things that simply could not be helped. “So how do I look?” 

“Why milady, you look like a true mistress of might,” Douglas replied with an odd French accent and tipping an invisible fedora. 

“Oh knock it off will you?” Karen lightly slapped Douglas on the shoulder with her other glove before putting it on. “Dinner is in the fridge.” 

“I was going for pizza today,” Douglas pouted, opening the front door. 

“Oh no you don't,” Karen said, “Sauce and potatoes young man. Gotta eat your vegetables.”

“It has paprika on it, that's a vegetable,” Douglas said, shrugging his shoulders and gesturing with his arms.

“Nice try, but no pizza,” she told him with a stiff smile. “Okay, gotta fly. Love you and take care.” 

Karen raised a fist up in the air and shot upwards like a speeding bullet, barely staying subsonic in terms of speed, Douglas traced her disappearing figure until she was reduced to a small dark dot that got swallowed up by a passing cloud. Taking in the spring morning with a deep breath, Douglas double checked that the front door was locked, and headed for school. Fiddling with his new cell phone, he was trying to add both Eddie and Kris to his contact list when he realized he'd yet to receive Karen's number. Pondering it over, it took him down memory lane when he met Karen outside the hospital shortly after the storm. Remembering how Karen, or rather Power Girl, didn't have a phone on her back then, Douglas had to settle down with the fact that she'd be off the grid for the next week while she flew around the world, saving the day wherever she could. 

When he finally found the right menu, Douglas fished out a couple of crumbled post-it notes that had Kris and Eddie's numbers written down on them, the blue ink partially smeared over the note. Mindful of traffic, he checked both ways before crossing the street, before the cell phone got his attention again. Once the contact list was updated and he'd double checked that the numbers were correct, Douglas sent out a quick text message to both Eddie and Kris, inviting them over to his place. It's been a while since they’d come over for a visit and with Karen out of the house for at least a week, he'd be starved for social interaction before long. The thought of charging into new territory and reaching out to some of his classmates did cross his mind, but he opted against it. 

After the first class was over, Douglas gave his phone a quick check as he headed over to geography class. True enough, both Kris and Eddie would love to come over, with Eddie asking if it would be okay to bring Pam over as well. Douglas replied, saying it shouldn't be a problem, that he was free the whole week and that they could drop by whenever as long as they gave him a little heads up first. Kris sent a message back right away, bombarding him with an army of smilies while Eddie on the other hand sent a simple 'cool.' 

It was three days later when Douglas' phone chimed in and Kris suggested that they'd come over for some Chinese take-away. After some back and forth settling who wanted what and how to settle payment, Kris, Eddie and Pam arrived a good hour later. Since it was the first time Pam visited Douglas' new home, a guided tour was obligatory. 

“Say, what's behind this door?” Pam asked, pointing at one of the doors in the main hallway. 

“Ah, please don't enter there Pam,” Douglas made a nervous gesture with his hands, “that's Karen's bedroom.” 

“What? She's a slob or something?” 

“No, idiot,” Eddie started, grabbing Pam's wrist and pulled her away from the door, “It's just common sense not to pry.” 

“Oh my God, just let go moron!” 

“Say Kris, mind taking the food upstairs?” Douglas asked, “We'll finish this up and join you in the living room, first door on your right.” 

“Sure thing, think we'll need plates?” 

“Me and Eddie will sort something out.” 

While a little offended that she didn't get to see the master bedroom, Pam's short attention span was quickly overwritten when she saw the rest of the manor. Once she got wind of the leisure room on the second floor, she darted off like a cartoon character, prompting Eddie to give chase. Douglas let them have their little fun, as neither of them meant any real harm and it felt good to hear the sound of voices and laughter in the usually quiet manor. With the sound of happy, heavy feet stomping around on the second floor along with muffled voices, he headed for the kitchen to collect some plates and glasses. 

Keeping Pam from bringing her food into the leisure room proved a challenge, as Eddie tired as best he could to tell her that the greasy Chinese food would make an utter mess out of the pool table. Kris was surprisingly quiet during the meal, though Douglas dismissed it as part of the band drama rather than something else. After all if she wanted to talk about it, she knew where to find him. With the meal out of the way, Eddie yielded and joined his sister in a game of pool, betting the next two weeks of house chores while Douglas and Kris headed downstairs to do the dishes. 

“Pam's as energetic as always,” he said more to himself than to Kris. 

“Well, she's at that age I guess.” 

“You've been quiet today,” he felt that he should at least let Kris know that he'd noticed, “something on your mind?” 

“Oh, it's just that-” Kris started before cutting herself short. 

“If you don't want to talk about it, it's cool,” Douglas was quick to assure her. 

“Have you seen it?” she said, stopping rinsing the plate under running water. 

“Seen what? I don't follow.” 

“The office, upstairs.” 

A bone chilling feeling ran down Douglas' spine like some ghostly oversized spider. He'd given Kris the wrong directions, literally unable to tell his right from his left and she'd walked into Karen's office. He'd never really been there too often and never really taken in the place. Karen had assured him that she didn't have some sort of secret lair, but it was obvious from Kris' reaction that something was terribly off. He'd have one hell of an explanation to do if Kris had seen something in there that allowed her to connect the dots between Karen and Power Girl. 

“It's- kind of off limits,” he said, trying his hardest to put on the poker face of a lifetime, “so I've never really gotten a good look at it.” 

“Ah, okay then,” Kris' tone shifted gears as if dismissing the whole deal, “so you don't know then.” 

Just as Douglas was about to ask her what she meant, the kitchen door opened and the two of them looked over to find Karen standing in the doorway. She wore the most hideous Hawaiian shirt that ever graced the Earth, probably three sizes too big, sweat pants that had several holes burned through the fabric along with paint stains and miss matched shoes. The three of them exchanged glances at one another, no one really sure how to make heads or tails of the situation. 

“We're having guests?” Karen broke the silence with a baffled expression. 

“Karen! I- uh thought you'd be gone for the week,” Douglas' voice cracked an extra octave before settling in on his usual tone. 

“Ms. Starr if you don't mind me asking,” Kris pointed a dubious finger at her, “just what are you wearing?” 

“You guys haven't heard the news?” Karen seemed to get a firmer grasp on the situation, running her hand over the left half of her face, “Volcanic eruption on Hawaii, my hotel had to be evacuated and Power Girl gave me a lift to the airport. I had to leave in my undies, so the airport staff let me have this from the lost and found storage.” 

“Oh my gosh,” Kris gasped, her eyes wide with shock, “Ms. Starr are you alright?” 

“I'm fine, thank you,” Karen assured her with a tired smile, “Doug, a minute please.” 

Like a small puppy waiting to get scolded badly, Douglas followed Karen out of the kitchen and back to her bedroom. After closing the door, Karen looked up at the ceiling, her blue irises glowed dimly and her eyes looked distant. As she walked over to her wardrobe, it looked as if she was straining her hearing trying to catch an important and elusive sound. Once satisfied, Karen started to go through the clothes in the wardrobe and made her selection before she started stripping down. The white form fitting suit that was underneath Karen's improvised clothing was torn, tattered and burned. What was left of it didn't really leave much to the imagination and Douglas found himself drawing in a sharp breath before turning away. 

“Uh, I'll just wait outs-“ 

“Stay put,” Karen's tone was stern and commanding, “your friends are entertained on the second floor for the moment, so I'll be quick.” 

“What happened out there?” 

“I screwed up. Been a while since I've done that,” Karen snapped on her bra and adjusted the shoulder straps a little, “in more ways than one.” 

“So there is an eruption on Hawaii?” 

“Yes and they'll just have to manage.” 

“Why, aren't you going back out again?” 

“If you'd been home alone or outside visiting your friends, then yes I would,” she said, her words briefly muffled by the washed out t-shirt she quickly threw over her head, “but Karen Starr is just a human, who had a nasty experience with hotel fire due to a volcano, flown on an airplane from Hawaii to Kentucky and thus she's exhausted from the jet-lag.” 

“Oh...” Douglas mumbled as it dawned on him the implications of what he'd done. “Karen, I'm so sorr-” 

She turned around and looked at him with angry blue eyes, “No Doug this isn't your fault, you hear me? There was no way you could have known and if anything, I should have known better.” Karen sighed with a frustrated disappointment, “Like I said, I screwed up.” 

“Well, I could send them back home if you'd like,” he offered what little he could to compensate for his mistake. 

Sitting on the bed, Karen pulled on a pair of fresh sweat pants before she stood up and put a caring hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. “Enjoy your time with your friends Doug, just keep it down okay? I'll go to bed after a quick shower and putting on my contact lens again.” 

“And there's one more thing you should know,” Douglas admitted, fearing that if he didn't tell Karen right away things could get much worse. “Kris saw something in your office when she entered it by mistake. I don't know what, but I thought you should know.” 

“How did she take it?” 

“She's been very quiet and- well, she asked if I knew.” 

“I see,” Karen's eyes narrowed for a moment before she gave Douglas a quick smile, “It's nothing to worry about Doug.” 

Coming back up to the leisure room, Douglas found Eddie gawking on his phone while Kris had taken over his place as Pam’s opponent in the pool game. They were setting up for another round when Eddie shot out of his seat and rushed over to Douglas, super excited. The word about Power Girl’s latest escapade had apparently reached him and as usual he was all too eager to talk about it to anyone within earshot. He showed Douglas a shaky filmed video that had been uploaded on one of Power Girl’s fan sites where she was digging a massive trench to keep the slow moving lava from reaching a hotel. Without warning there was a loud explosion and a massive fireball bellowed upwards, the shockwave shattered just about every window in the hotel and something blasted through the whole building. 

“Damn that’s some sloppy moves,” Eddie said as the video stopped, the comments underneath it appeared to share the same sentiment. 

“That’s kind of unexpected,” Douglas said, “never thought you’d be one to criticize Power Girl.” 

“Don’t get me wrong dude, she’s awesome,” Eddie was quick to reaffirm his loyalty, “but it’s unexpected that she’d do such a basic mistake.” 

“She seemed to do fine to me.” 

“Look again bro,” Eddie scrolled down to the comments where the armchair experts said that Power Girl had punctured a gas line, which exploded and almost did more damage than good, “it’s almost as if her mind isn’t on the job.” 

“I suppose, but she can take it right? The blast I mean.” 

Eddie frowned and kept on scrolling downwards on the comments, “That video is a couple of hours old and she still hasn’t come back. Could be a confidence issue, could be that there’s another nasty thing happening elsewhere or something else.” 

“I don’t know man, you’re the expert,” Douglas shrugged, “By the way; Karen is back so we need to keep it down.” 

“Yeah, no prob dude, no prob.” 

Using a bathroom break as his excuse, Douglas retreated from the leisure room. As wrong as it was, his curiosity was just screaming and rattling inside his mind. Just what was it inside Karen’s office that had made Kris fallen silent and why wouldn’t Karen tell him anything? Didn’t the two of them agree not to keep secrets from one another? The door to Karen’s office looked like a tall and massive gate to some foreboding castle than anything else. With the clacking sound of pool balls getting scattered as his cue, Douglas grabbed the door handle, twisted it around and took a deep step inside the room beyond. 

Looking around he couldn’t really see anything out of the ordinary with a passing glance. Yes there were boxes around that hadn’t been there before, they were in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but nothing unusual. Some flat as a blackboard, while others were more of the size of bed side tables. He was about to leave when a label on one of the boxes caught his eye; baby crib. Walking among the other boxes Douglas checked the labels he could find and true enough they were all baby related; clothes, car seat, activity gym and a host of other things. Douglas figured once all this gets unpacked and assembled, there would be enough to go around for several babies. 

“Oh boy… no wonder Kris was acting off.”


	7. Keeping it Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Douglas starts struggling keeping his relationship with Power Girl a secret as she gets more and more demanding since she's still not pregnant, despite their efforts. While she won't admit it, Power Girl is also getting sexually frustrated since she cannot orgasm, putting their secret relationship under more stress.

Douglas was over at Eddie’s place when the news broke; a school shooting in Las Vegas to which Power Girl had responded. Reports were ticking in that she’d been taking a small break at a nearby café to catch a quick bite when without warning she’d taken off. Just the mere mentioning of her was all that Eddie needed to dive in and check his own sources. True enough, Power Girl had overpowered the shooter shortly after the first shot was fired. He was puzzled by some of the reports, since they appeared contradictory to Power Girl’s familiar M.O.

“What’s so special about this one?” Douglas asked, interested in an ‘experts’ opinion.

“The reports are still unconfirmed,” Eddie started, pointing at the online message board, “but apparently Power Girl just smashed right through several walls to get to the shooter and she broke several of the shooters bones when she tackled her.”

Douglas’ raised his eyebrows in surprise, “The shooter was a girl?”

“Yeah bro, reporters are just speculating at this point. The dominating theory is that some chick had a condition and was off her meds.”

“Huh, looks like the only casualty was the teacher that held the classroom door shut,” Douglas said, squinting at the screen.

Eddie crossed his arms across his chest, nodding, “Hm, proves that you don’t need to wear a cape to be a hero.”

He joined an online chatroom and started digging around for more information. Guess Eddie would be spending the rest of the day and night updating his blog, Douglas thought to himself. He just skimmed over some of the comments as the text scrolled over the screen, but from the bits and pieces Douglas did see there was indeed an overall impression that Power Girl had step out of line. The fans cited that she’d not used such excessive force in stopping a crime since the early or mid-80’s, back when she first made her debut. Links to old newspaper and video clips were thrown around to quell the newer generation of fans, who insisted that Power Girl had always been very careful with her powers. Most, if not all of this was old news to Eddie, so he quickly clicked the links away, though Douglas caught glimpses of headlines about her ‘power trip’ against the drug trade in Miami.

The discussion remained civil for a while, people pointing out that Power Girl had largely taken a backseat against vigilantism as most law enforcements frowned on it due to the legal problems it caused. More often than not, an arrest made by Power Girl let the criminal walk, since she was not an officer of the law. When she did step up to the plate, it was often in close cooperation with local or federal law enforcement. Power Girl would act as the ‘big guns’ for the police and they’d do the actual arrests. From here the discussion started to deteriorate with lame puns about what Power Girl’s ‘big guns’ really were and efforts to steer it towards more interesting topics failed.

“Yeah, well fuck you and your mom, you fuckin’ fag!” Eddie flipped both his fingers on the screen before he closed the chat window.

Douglas allowed himself a smile, it was rare to see Eddie in his element. “You’d think people would accept some collateral damage over the lives of junior high school kids.”

“Aww dude, dude, dude… you really don’t know anything about Power Girl, do you?”

“I- I know a thing or two,” Douglas pouted, sounding both defensive and offended at the same time.

“Yeah, yeah… sure you do bud,” Eddie slumped back in his chair, spinning it around a little, “Look, Power Girl struck a deal with the Clinton administration. Part of the deal was for her to show constraint, no more of that gun-ho shoot from the hip kinda thing that dominated the 80’s. She essentially became accountable for her actions.”

“So she really was out of line? Think there will be any implications?”

Eddie shifted in his chair, tilting his head with a surprised expression on his face, “Look at Doug, climbing the Power Girl fanboy ladder.”

“I’ll- I’ll admit that she’s been more than a curiosity in the news since she saved me, alright?”

“Sure whatever dude.”

The quest for facts regarding the story as it unfolded would take most of Eddie’s attention and as such Douglas excused himself to head back home about half an hour later. Saying his goodbyes to Pam as he left, Douglas headed down the quiet street to the bus stop. Looking up at the dusk sky, he figured it wouldn’t be wrong to ask Karen one more time about getting his driver’s license. A faint, cold breeze danced by and he pulled up his shoulders before tucking his hands in his pockets. Hopefully he wouldn’t miss the bus, with the sun setting it would get pretty cold pretty fast. A fluttering sound, like a flag swaying in the wind caught his ears and Douglas looked up, over his shoulder. True enough, Power Girl hung in the air some twenty feet over the ground. She looked over the street and the houses on either side before she made a soft landing.

“Ka- Power Girl, what’s… uh, up?”

“Why weren’t you home?” her steps and pose was quiet, borderline lazy yet there was something about her that made the hair on Douglas’ neck stand up.

“Eddie wanted to hang out and you were,” he paused and glanced around, “out.”

“Is that so?” Power Girl kept on walking, giving him a sideways glance as she passed him, “Leave a note next time, will you?”

“Uh, sure I’ll leave one on the fridge or something,” he turned around and traced her with his eyes before he jogged a few steps to catch up with her, “Saw you on the news by the way.”

“Doug, don’t,” Power Girl pointed at him with two fingers, “Just don’t.”

They walked a minute in silence before they arrived at a cross section. Douglas was about to make a right turn towards his old school and the nearby bus stop, yet Power Girl just kept on walking straight forward. Hesitantly Douglas looked down the road he intended to take and then on Power Girl’s tall back, her cape lightly tugging against the passing breeze. As the first stars started to sparkle in the sky, he made up his mind and followed Power Girl down her road. One of her eyebrows raised with curiosity as she gave him a sideways glance right after he caught up with her, but she said nothing.

He couldn’t come up with anything smart or comforting to say, so Douglas just walked by her side in silence. Part of him suggested that he should make a small gesture to assure Power Girl that everything was going to be alright, or at least that he thought so. Something simple, like holding her hand, yet movement in one of the windows across the street reminded him that they were not in private. As much as it would hurt his ego, it’d be easier to explain that Power Girl was simply walking him home should they run into some stranger.

“You’ve missed the bus,” Power Girl said, nodding her head back towards his old school.

“I think it’s better if I stay with you.”

She scratched the side of her cheek, “Do you now?”

“Look Ka- Power Girl, I’m not used to this whole relationship thing,” Douglas said, “let alone dealing with super heroics half the country away, but I’m trying okay?”

“Yeah, you are,” she turned left at the intersection and the streetlight came on.

“Where are we headed anyway?” Douglas asked, looking around the rather unfamiliar neighborhood.

“I left the car just down the road after doing some shopping,” Power Girl made a vague gesture towards their right as if indicating the location of the car.

“So why are you walking?” Douglas took off his glasses, holding them up against the streetlight in an attempt to spot some dirt, “Wouldn’t it be easier and more convenient to fly over?”

She inhaled and exhaled with a flair of over-exaggeration, “Sometimes it’s nice to-”

A metallic rattling sound shattered the calm silence that had hung over the street. Power Girl turned in the direction of the sound, peering into the dark shadows across the street. He put his glasses back on, trying to see whatever it was that Power Girl apparently spotted. Just before he was about to speak up, she shot off like fired out of a cannon, her feet kicking up football sized chunks of asphalt. In the distance a dog barked and people came to their windows, trying to see what the commotion was all about. Douglas figured it was best if he stayed closed to Power Girl rather than stick around.

Coming up to a simple white shed whose front door had been pried open, Douglas bumped into a person that smelled like a sewer. He staggered backwards and after finding his footing, Douglas looked as the back of the person, apparently a man, disappeared into the night as fast as his feet would carry him. As the sound of the man’s feet faded away, Douglas looked into the shed and saw Power Girl standing there almost dumbstruck, looking at her hands. The sound of neighbors coming out of their houses caught her attention and she snapped out of her trance. As soon as Power Girl laid her eyes on Douglas, her face shifted to a disapproving glare and she stomped over to him.

With a firm clasp, Power Girl’s hand locked around his wrist and she yanked him close. Feeling his chin poke the top of her cleavage, Douglas wasn’t given a second to recover as she locked her other arm behind his knees, efficiently sweeping him off his feet. He’d barely settled in inside her arms when they were airborne and the neighbors calling out after then grew distant. The flight trip was more of a long and tall jump rather than actual flight, so the steep ascend and descend made Douglas lock his arms around Power Girl’s neck. It wasn’t until they were back on the ground and Power Girl had let him go that he realized that he’d hugged his crouch into her breasts.

Douglas took a look around, tucking at his pants a little to adjust for his erection. They were in a quiet parking lot where the only car that was parked belonged to Karen. Both the pizza shop and small supermarket that stood side by side were closed for the evening. Opposite on the left side there was another commercial building of sorts, though it had seen better days and looked like it had stood empty for some time. Karen walked up to her car and fished out some clothes from the back seat before heading over to the deserted building. She strode over to one of the doors and pressed it open, the lock breaking with no apparent effort on her end.

“Ka- what are you doing?!” Douglas followed after her inside the building.

“Changing, watch the door,” she replied with a deadpan tone as she fiddled with her sweater.

“You can’t just break in like that. What if someone sees you? Sees us?”

Popping her head out from the sweater, Karen pointed towards one of the ‘for sale’ signs that were pasted on the windows, “Bought it last week.”

“Oh-kay…” Douglas looked around outside, but the parking lot was as quiet and deserted as before, “What about that guy in the shed?”

“Druggie looking for something to steal,” her tone dismissed Douglas' concerns as a trivial annoyance.

Douglas scratched the back of his neck, “You think maybe… you were too hard on him?”

“No,” she pulled up her jeans, tearing the belt hinges in the process, “Aww crap.”

They left the store, Karen slamming the door behind her hard enough to break the glass in it. Bundling her cape into a red ball, she tossed it into the backseat and got behind the wheel. Karen patted herself up and down, looking for the car keys. A hoarse groan of frustration rumbled in the back of her throat as she had to arch backwards to fish out the keys from her tight jeans pocket. Douglas slipped into his seat in the back as quietly as possible, the clicking of his seatbelt lock sounded like a shotgun blast. With a sharp stomp on the gas pedal, Karen got the car running out of the parking lot and danced just over the speed limit for the whole ride home.

 

* * *

 

On the following morning, Douglas woke up to muffled voices coming from outside his bedroom. Given the size of the manor and how many people lived in it, this was highly unusual. Curious, Douglas slipped out of his bed, wrapped a bathrobe around himself and stepped into his slippers before heading for the door. Just as his hand touched the door handle, he doubled back to his bed and put his glasses on. With each step he took down the main hallway, the voices grew louder and their words clearer.

“-what I didn't do was threaten the kid,” Karen's voice was just about as defiant as it was defensive.

A small moment of silence ticked by before a man spoke up, “Ms. Starr, we're just here to get your side of the story.”

Douglas swallowed and tucked his bathrobe around him tighter as if shutting out a bitter cold. Just as he'd feared, Karen was getting chewed out by the government for what had happened in Vegas. Before his mind could drift any further, the kitchen door handle clanked and the hinges piped out a squeak as the door swung open. Karen looked at Douglas, her faced clouded with a disapproving frown before she nudged her head, prompting him to join her in the kitchen. Seated at the kitchen table, FBI special agents Reed and Reese were mulling over their papers and tablets.

“Eavesdropping is not nice, Douglas,” she said as he walked past her.

The door closed with an angry slam behind him which made him flinch a little, Douglas could see Karen in the corner of his eye as she walked over to the kitchen counter and poured some coffee for their guests. Judging by her bright red striped panties and washed out singlet, Douglas figured that it was early for Karen as well. Not that the FBI seemed to care, though it didn't really help on the overall mood for anyone involved.

“Should he even be here?” agent Reed rested his elbow on the table as he gestured towards Douglas with a red pen.

“No,” agent Reese didn't even bother looking up, he just swiped left on his tablet.

Douglas shrunk back and adjusted his glasses a little. “I- I... uh, should maybe- ”

“Yes he should be here,” Karen cut him off, putting down the coffee cups on the table, her tall frame loomed over the two agents.

“Why's that Ms. Starr?”

Karen drew herself up, a look of tired resentment washed over her eyes like a lazy sea wave, “He's family, I've trusted him with the truth and frankly I don't like it when people try to tell me what I can and cannot do in my own house.”

Agent Reese looked up from his tablet, challenging Karen's gaze with his own. Their eyes locked and it seemed like they had a silent battle of determination, from which agent Reese eventually withdrew. Douglas on the other hand retreated as far back as the kitchen counter would let him, shrinking away from the silent confrontation, treating it like a roaring and deadly fire. Once they started talking again, it became painfully clear that neither of the agents approved of including Douglas, as they talked in hushed voices. Rather than press his luck with the agents patience and set of a powder keg, Douglas opted for breakfast instead. Toast with some egg and bacon should suffice.

“People. Were. Dying,” Karen's words came down like a carpenter's hammer, slamming down on a single stubborn nail. “Children no less.”

Agent Reese leaned back in his chair, smelling his hot coffee, “Could it be that you overreacted because of your... make believe family?”

“You want to run that by me again?” Karen swatted out at the coffee cup in agent Reese' hand so fast and hard that the handle broke off, sending the cup smashing against the wall on the far end of the room. “Do you? Huh?”

“No,” agent Reed rose from his chair and started packing up his paperwork, “we don't. We'll be in touch Ms. Starr. Good day.”

With Karen resting her hands on the edge of the kitchen table, staring at the remaining piece of paper, the two agents took their leave. A long minute ticked by as the sound of a car starting up and leaving the driveway was barely heard from inside the kitchen. When the toaster finally had enough and kicked the bread out, the sudden snap made Douglas jump out of his good skin. Feeling Karen’s foul mood pour out of her like steam form a pot of boiling water, his mind had forgotten all about the eggs and bacon and Douglas settled for some basic strawberry jam instead. With his simple toast on a plate in one hand and a glass of juice in the other, Douglas shuffled his feet quietly over to the kitchen table. Karen started gathering up the broken pieces from the coffee cup, sulking over by the wall.

“They, uh, want you to do a PR thing?” Douglas glanced over at the paper left on the kitchen table, “Gun safety awareness?”

“It’s stupid, but public image and what not,” Karen said as she dumped the broken coffee cup into the trash. “Plus I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll just go to the Alps and build a snowman instead.” She walked over and took a seat at the kitchen table, folding her arms on it and buried her face.

After a long minute of silence, Karen looked up as if something suddenly caught her attention and peered into the direction of Douglas room, “Your phone is ringing,” she said.

Douglas half jogged back to his room, his bathrobe flapping around his knees and just as he swung open the door to his room, the phone stopped ringing. Picking it up, he checked the call log and called Kris back. Apparently there was some more drama with her band and they’d split up. As a side effect of this, the remaining band members were not only without someone who could do the vocals, they also didn’t have a place to practice. After assuring Douglas that she wasn’t scouting him to do any singing, fearing that they’d get sued by Disney for using Donald Duck’s voice without permission, Kris wanted to know if it would be okay to use his old home until they could find something more permanent.

“Uh… I’m not too sure about that,” he said, turning around to spot Karen leaning in the door way, arms crossed.

“I know I’m asking a lot, but please Doug? You’d be an angel if you did,” Kris pleaded on her end of the phone. “I’ll keep an eye on them and we’ll be civil, promise.”

“I’d love to help out, but…” Douglas eyes landed on Karen, asking her silently for a second opinion. Karen, clearly hearing the whole conversation no thanks to her super hearing, shrugged her shoulders.

“Look, look. How about you come over and meet them? Okay? If my vouching for them isn’t good enough, maybe, maybe meeting them in person will- I dunno, tip the scales?”

“I don-” he started, before Kris dived in with her last sales pitch as it were.

“And! And if you get some bad vibes and say no, we’ll just- drop it. Okay? Please? Pretty please with sugar on top?”

Douglas threw back his, looking up at the ceiling, “Oh, alright. I’ll meet you at school later today? Around, err, 1 PM? Bye.”

He hung up and sighed, tossing the phone on the bed. Sometimes Douglas wished he could be a little bit more selfish and tell people to back off. Then again, part of his nature and a large part of his upbringing revolved around treating others as he himself wanted to be treated. Had their roles been reversed, Douglas sure would have appreciated Kris jumping in to help him out in a pinch. Guess he’d just have to add this to the favor tab. Karen still stood in the door way, her expression looked tired and indifferent.

“Guess you heard all that?” Douglas rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Any chance you’ll give me lift back to West Point?”

“Sure,” Karen nudged herself off the door frame, her tone had a touch of indifferent disapproval.

 

* * *

 

The leather in his seat creaked underneath him as Douglas settled in the front seat. Karen close the driver’s door with a loud thud, the keys rattling with a light metallic cling as she leaned over to start the car. A quick shower, fresh set of clothes and some quick make up was apparently not enough to give her a clean slate as far as her mood went. It could be because Karen often choose to wear long and baggy clothes whenever she went outside, a conscious choice to keep people from making a connection between her and Power Girl. While Douglas was fairly certain that it didn’t have much impact on her as far as temperature and comfort went, he couldn’t help but notice Karen venting some of her bad mood on the sleeves of her sweater and jacket. With summer right around the corner, Douglas figured that even Karen would like to dress up for the season. Then again, it could very well be more about what the agents had told her earlier that was still eating at her. Or maybe she was on her period? Do Kryptonians even have periods?

As far as the drive went, it was over in a blink. Karen clearly had shit to do and places to be, West Point was apparently not one of them. She parked outside Douglas’ old school and saw him off, peering over her sunglasses. Meeting Kris and her band at the small playground just across the street from his old school, they exchanged greetings and chatted for a while as they goofed around on the swings. It was easy to see why Kris hung out with them; they were dreamers and explorers eager to spread their wings. Between classes and band practice, they were flipping burgers and washing dishes, scraping together a fistful of dollars so they could one day get out of town. It was admirable that these kids whom had embraced punk and rock were so focused and disciplined that they'd stay on their long term goal, despite that many teachers and adults wrote them off as slackers.

They walked over to Douglas old house after a small hour of chit chat, since neither one of them or the group as a whole didn't give Douglas any bad vibes. Should there however unlikely be an incident, they'd own it and make up for it. For Douglas it felt like a lifetime since he'd been at his old place, it was like a different place from a long gone age. Funny how one's perception of time doesn't really match up when you look at the actual calendar. The house itself was pretty much as he and Karen had left it, save the now barren feeling of being unused. It might look like home, but it felt empty and cold, despite the sunny weather outside. The early summer sun poked through whatever cracks it found between the curtains. Inside the living room, the furniture looked like ghostly silhouettes with their white sheets covering them and the chairs flipped upside down, resting on the kitchen table looked oddly deserted.

There were some light questioning back and forth, covering electricity, water, power outlets and other practical issues. Kris did most of the talking, stealing glances down on her phone between questions while her friends quietly looked around. Douglas answered as best he could, though he stressed that he would have to check with Karen to get final confirmation on some of the questions. She had pretty much handled all the 'adult stuff' shortly after she'd become his legal guardian.

“Huh, you really do rely on her a lot,” Kris said, “Not that I blame you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothin’,” she shrugged, “she’s got her shit together and it wouldn’t surprise me if you fawn all over her every chance you get.”

“I do not.”

“I’ve got eyes Doug and I know hungry eyes when I see them.”

He crossed his arms across his chest, “I- I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“As much as you prefer books over people, there’s no denying that you’re a teenager and she’s a top tier MILF.” Kris shot him a quick, sarcastic smile, “Biology 101 Doug, sprinkled with the ABC of sex ed. You kinky bookworm, goin’ for the hot step mom.”

The gang was very positive to the place and assured that they'd behave if they were allowed to use it, making a point that it would be a temporary solution only. Douglas was a still a little skeptical to the whole deal, but promised them that he'd consider it and let them know as soon as he'd worked out the final details with Karen. If nothing else, they could use the place to store their instruments and amplifiers until a better solution presented itself. As a last bribe to sway his opinion, Kris offered to give him a lift home.

“So, any chance you're gonna get a driver’s license any time soon?” Kris said, changing the subject from band drama and armature real estate.

Douglas held down a burp before he answered, “Yeah, or at least I’ve mentioned it to Karen, but…”

“But what?”

“She’s still on the fence,” he gestured with his hands, “saw something about a car crash on the news and it shook her up pretty badly.”

“Huh, didn’t think she was the type to be upset by something like that,” she turned around in her seat to see if there were anyone in the blind spots. “It’s down here, to the left?”

“Yeah, yeah. First one on the left.”

Kris parked in the driveway and rolled down the window shortly after Douglas had left, “Not to nag but…”

He gave her a smile, “I know, I know. I’ll keep you posted on any and all developments.”

She smiled back, rolled up the window and backed out of the drive way. Douglas saw her off and once the car was out of view, he fished out his phone from his pocket to check the time. It was just quarter to three, so the day wasn’t totally spent yet. Feeling a slight gurgle in his stomach, he figured it might be a good idea to get something to eat. He hadn’t really eaten anything since his humble breakfast. Just as he was about to look up from his phone he bumped into Karen, face first into her chest. Douglas staggered half a step back, flustered and adjusted his glasses with a surprised scare on his face. Karen was wearing her Power Girl suit, hands on her hips and had an annoyed disapproving look to her eyes.

“Karen, you scared me,” he said, while packing away his phone. “Is there something wrong?”

“What was that about?” she asked, nudging her chin towards the end of the drive way.

“What, Kris? She just gave me a lift back home from West Point.”

“Uh-huh…” Karen shifted her hands from her hips to crossing her arms across her chest.

“Well she did offer and since I don’t have a driver’s license…”

Karen spun on her heel, the gravel crackling underneath her foot, “We can start test driving tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay then. That’s, uh, great,” Douglas followed her inside the manor.

Tagging along a few steps behind her, Douglas figured Karen would head straight for the master bedroom. Instead she kept on walking, passing by both the door to the second floor and the kitchen, entering the guest bedroom and slammed the door hard enough to rattle the picture that hung next to it. Not quite sure what to make of it, Douglas just carried on to his room and left his phone to charge before he backtracked to the kitchen and make himself a much delayed and needed lunch. While he fixed himself a series of hot ham and cheese sandwiches, Douglas figured he’d try something different. Karen’s bad mood made him uncomfortable and she was so difficult to approach, let alone talk to when she was like this. Perks of living with someone who has super hearing is of course they can hear everything, even if they’re not in the same room as you.

“So, Karen,” he started while combining butter, mustard, onions, poppy seeds and dill seed in a bowl, “Kris and her band would like to use my old home as a practice place, at least for now until they can find something better.

There was no response, just the distant sound of a shower running. “I’d like to help, but isn’t the electricity taken off? You think we could- I don’t know, turn it back on and get Kris to pay for it?”

Douglas turned the oven on to 250 degrees and listened for a moment, though as expected there was no response. “Anyways, just take your time and we can talk when you’re done.”

He finished setting up the sandwiches and added a bowl of tomato soup as a side dish. It might be a mistake to cook while he was as hungry as he was, but he was gambling on that Karen would pinch in if needed. Hopefully her bad mood didn’t affect her apatite. With the sandwiches baking in the oven, Douglas stirred the soup when Karen came back from the shower. Drying her hair with a towel, Karen had a pale pink bathrobe loosely tied around her waist, showing off a very generous amount of cleavage. She walked over to the oven and squatted down, smelling the cheese and ham sandwiches before looking up at Douglas. It was rare and strange that their perspectives were for once reversed. For the most part Douglas was the one that looked up to Karen, whether she stood flat on the floor or hovered over him in midair.

“That was new,” she said rising back to her full height, “talking to yourself like that. Guess that means you’re starting to get used to it here. Used to me.”

“I figured why not?” he shrugged, averting his eyes in worry that any sneak glances might set off a landmine of bad mood.

“Why don’t we talk upstairs?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll- join you as soon as this is done,” he gestured towards the oven, “a couple of minute’s tops.”

Balancing soup, sandwiches and a couple of glasses of milk on a tray, Douglas braved the stairway up to the second floor. Karen had been kind enough to leave the doors wide open, a gesture he hoped was a sign that her mood was improving. Karen stood by one of the windows in the living room, looking out at the back yard, the towel hanging around her neck as she held on to both ends. As Douglas took a turn towards the sofa, he could smell the moment he’d deviated from Karen’s trail when the fresh smell of her shampooed hair disappeared. For a moment Douglas ate, alternating between soup and sandwich for each mouthful as he patiently waited for Karen to speak up. She stood by the window silently lost in thought, tilting her head a little as she traced a bird heading for one of the many trees that were behind the manor.

“So, you want to help out Kris,” Karen said, sliding the towel off her neck.

“I figured I might as well, it’s not like I’m using the house, right?”

She walked over to the sofa, spinning the towel around in one hand, “Do you have the hots for Kris?”

Douglas spluttered with his milk, putting the glass down and reached for a napkin. “Wha- Where did that come from?”

“Nowhere,” she stopped in front of him, her stance broad. “Do you?”

“No,” he shrunk back into the sofa, “she’s a good friend sure, but not- we’re not like that. She’s not my type.”

“Mm-hmm,” she didn’t sound convinced as she slid one knee on the sofa and straddled him. “What is your type then?”

“Uh… blondes?” he squirmed a little in his seat underneath her weight.

Cracking half a smile in the corner of her mouth Karen said, “Nice save,” before she locked the towel around his neck and yanked him in for a kiss.

The kiss was firm and determined, a stark contrast to previous kisses whom had been both soft and affectionate. She slipped her tongue past his lips, bruising against his teeth before turning counter clockwise around the tip of his. A warm breeze of breath tickled over his nose and cheek, her slow and deep breaths sounded like someone indulging themselves to their favorite treat after putting it off for far too long. The soft, slightly wet fabric of the towel scraped over his neck as it got pulled aside before large, firm hands coiled their fingers around his wrists. With an impatient guidance that would not take no for an answer, his hands were slipped underneath her bathrobe, urging him to massage her breasts.

His palms pressed against her soft bosom, more on her insistence than his before he gave in and cast a wide net with his fingers, feeling her as much as his hands allowed. Her skin was warm to the touch and felt a little more oily like than usual, letting his hands caress her with less friction as excess breast poked up between his fingers. Satisfied with his renewed enthusiasm, she let go of his wrists and broke off the kiss with a wet smack, arching backwards a little. The last he saw before she removed his glasses was her sleepy expression, melted with sensual indulgence and her cleavage rising and shifting underneath his hands. With just a blurry and out of focus skin pink silhouette for reference, his other senses took up the slack and it didn’t take long before the texture of her skin became more prominent, the early hints of her womanly sent started to peek through the mist of her shampoo and lotion, along with the teasing sounds of the sofa groaning underneath them.

Her back arched and twisted from side to side, alternating between working together and against the movement of her hips. A sudden flick of his wrists knocked against her bathrobe, making it slide off her shoulders and rest around her elbows in a soft fluff. She drew a sharp breath and raised her shoulders as her skin perked up with the distinguishable texture of goosebumps. Melting the tense shoulders away, she rested her forearms on his shoulders, leaning in for a kiss. This time around it was soft and gentle, the skin just next to her lips tasting a little sour from her skin lotion. His hands slid across her oily skin, a watered down sensation as the first drops of sweat started mingle with the lotion, cupping her shoulder blades he pressed her chest against his face. Humoring him, she put some more weight on her knees, raising her breasts to the ideal height before she gave her shoulders a few shakes.

Soft sounding smacks managed to slip past their bodies as the insides of her breasts slapped against his chin. A snicker escaped his lips as a clever little idea presented itself in his mind. Shaping his hands into talons, he used his nails to draw five tracks from her spine and around to the sides of her breasts. She let out a surprised gasp that flowed into an approving purring sound as his fingers trekked along her skin. Burying his face in her cleavage, he pressed against the sides of her breasts and took a deep breath before he blew a long and loud raspberry. Squirming with fidgeting arms and smacking him lighting on the top of his head in playful protest, she let out a hearty laugh that reached every corner of the living room. Coming up for air, he looked up at her with his chin still lost inside her cleavage, smiling. Her lips slightly parted, shifting underneath her breath, she returned his smile with one filled with warm affection and happiness. They held their eyes together for a blissful moment before hers faded into a clever hunger.

Supporting herself with one hand against the wall, she pulled her hair behind her ear before her hand dived down between them. Her fingers started slow and patient, undoing his pants until his zipper decided to stop cooperating about halfway down. An annoyed grunt rumbled in the back of her mouth as she tucked at the fabric, forcing the zipper open through sheer force. The delicate touch returned as the tip of her fingers teased the bulge in his underwear, drawing a gentle line up and down its length with a fingernail. A thumb slipped underneath the elastic band, pulling it out a few inches before she let it go with a satisfying smack. He flinched for a second, letting his hands return the favor by loosely scratching horizontal lines across her abs. Pulling back, she rested her weight on his thighs before pulling the underwear out of the way, locking the uncooperative elastic band underneath his balls.

Undoing the belt on her bathrobe, she let it slide off and tucked it underneath his thighs before she leaned in for another string of kisses. Holding him by the base, she raised her hips and guided him inside of her with a slow sinking motion, stopping and backtracking a small inch every now and then. They exhaled slowly as he was fully inside of her, touching each-others most sensitive parts. Locking her arms around his neck, she shifted her weight around ever so gently, the slow and soft movements tingled and teased from new angles. Brushing a strain of blonde hair out of the way, his eyes locked with hers. Their breaths washing against each other faces like soft waves on a pacific beach. A string of fingers traced the curves of her back, stroking the length of her spine as if painting. Moaning approvingly, she tasted his tongue, lips and chin. His lips in turn traced from the tip of her ear lobe, down the side of her neck as far as his reach would let him.

She straightened up, her arms sliding behind his back, hugging him close to her. Just as he returned her embrace, her hips started to grind with a sudden and impatient pace. The unexpected change of speed and intensity took him by surprise, his wide eyes tried to read an explanation off her face. Her face betrayed only a determined pleasure as her lovely blue eyes were shut close and a few teeth peeked out as they bit down on her lower lip. Pressure was building up, he could feel the familiar tension and tingling in his lower spine. His hands tried first to press down on her hips, hoping she’d take it as a hint to stop or at the very least pace herself. Her skin already oily from the lotion and made more slippery thanks to damp sweat just made his hands slip off, unable to get a strong enough grip. Opting for a different approach, he rubbed his hands as clean as he could on his pants and cupped her butt cheeks with a loud smack.

Drawing a sharp breath and holding it, she froze dead in her tracks for a small second before slowly sliding down his length, puzzled. She looked at him, a drop of sweat drew a wet line down her temple. Taken aback by her reaction, his mind went blank and his hands withdrew from her butt. As his mind did a partial reboot, he started pressing against her, as if he was trying to rise from the sofa. He supported himself with one arm while his free hand tried to move the bathrobe so he could sit on it fully. Looking down to her left and right, she quickly caught on what he wanted to do and suddenly felt light like a feather. With her still sitting on his lap, he rose up a small inch and moved the bathrobe in as a makeshift towel. Guess there are some perks dating a woman that can defy gravity at will. Wait, where they strictly speaking even dating?

The thought was left unexplored as her hand folded around the back of his head and pushed him for another kiss. Free from her embrace, his arms and hands were allowed to move with more freedom, exploring the texture and curves of her well-shaped frame. Warm, with an oily slippery to it, his hands tasted her; pressing, stroking and caressing a body that was alternating between hard and firm as a bedrock, to humanly soft. She resumed her grind, stroking and squeezing his length, pressing forward and backward, turning clockwise three quarters of the way. Her pace still had that impatient movement to it. As much as he’d appreciated the small timeout they had, it didn’t take long before he felt the same pressure building up. His hands left the warm skin of her back and thighs, instead fishing for the bathrobe he sat on, coiling the fabric between his fingers and pressing down in an effort to hold back. It proved to be a futile effort on his part.

 

* * *

 

Douglas stood in the shower, the air warm and damp from the hot water raining down on him. This was the fourth time he’d scrubbed himself down in soap, focusing intently on his groin. Resting his forehead against the glass door, he looked at the transparent reflection of his face. Rewinding his memory, he went over any detail he could recall following his climax. It had felt great, fantastic even, yet at the same time it was this screaming anti-climax. Not like in the movies where the Apollo launch illustrates the rising tension and a wide, colorful range of fireworks drives home the point of the actual climax and release. Given who his partner was, you’d expect the imagery to be a nuclear bomb going off, complete with lots of colors and the ever iconic mushroom cloud. But no, if anything it came along the lines of a firecracker misfiring and just embarrassingly sizzled away to a thin line of smoke.

Karen, for all her skills in keeping up a façade, was showing cracks in her exterior. Or at least, that’s what Douglas thought he saw when they were both winding down. Maybe she just didn’t want to talk about it, but she avoided the apparent elephant in the room by changing the subject. It was either clean up, or take a shower, or he was told not to worry. Biting down on the fingernail on his pinky, Douglas let out a sigh that rumbled with frustration. Karen didn’t strike him as the type that would just turn on her heel, say “fuck you, got mine” and kick him out. The taste of her kisses, the looks in her eyes and the affection he felt in everything she did when they made love was compelling evidence that it wasn’t the case. Regardless, this time he’d pressed the subject a little too hard and Karen’s mood took a nosedive as a result.

“Idiot,” he said under his breath before he swiped at the reflection.

With his own mood on the wrong side of grumpy street, Douglas dried up and sulked in his room. Outside he could hear the lawnmower rearing up and driving up and down. Karen seemed to have opted to burn away her own bad mood through something productive. He leaned back in his chair, rocking a little back and forth against the springs, his eyes not really looking at the streak of sunlight that slashed across the ceiling. Straightening up, Douglas patted down on his pants for his phone and fished it out of one of the pockets before he dialed Eddie. Karen might overhear, she might not, either way it was a chance Douglas was willing to take.

“Hey, Ed-”

“OH MY GOD! Have you seen the news man?!”

Douglas jerked in his seat, pulling the phone away from his ear, “No, no Eddie can’t say I have. What’s got you so rattled?”

“Power Girl bro, P-O-W-E-R G-I-R-L.”

“Right, I should have guessed,” Douglas glanced out the window and smiled as he saw Karen truck away with the lawnmower. “So, what’s the latest of the mistress of might?”

“Sh- she’s coming to school man, our shitty little school in West Point!”

He leaned in on his desk, a frown colored his face. “Oh? She decided to do the FBI gun awareness campaign after all?”

“Yeah, yeah she to-” Eddie fell dead silent at the other end, “What do you mean ‘after all’? News broke just five minutes ago dude. Fed’s ain’t involved either as far as I know. You got some sweet intel on PG that I don’t?”

A streak of cold sweat slithered down Douglas’ back like a nasty parasite just beneath his skin. “Uh… no, not really? I’m still at the grass root level as far as Power Girl fan’s go,” a nervous laugh twisted itself into a fake cough.

“Yeah…? Well, whatever dude. This is huge man, she’s gonna be there, like in the flesh, talking!”

Sounds of creaking furniture and what sounded like legs kicking something almost made Douglas miss out on Eddie’s girl like squeal. Eddie went on a massive torrent of a rant about how he would have to make sure to document everything and how this was the biggest day of his life, ever. While for the most part Douglas just sat there listening to his friend vent out his delight, much like a parent humors a child on Christmas Eve, he did try to put the brakes on Eddie’s enthusiasm just a little bit. He even pulled Eddie’s leg a few times, saying that he was lucky Power Girl didn’t arrive when it was time for Eddie’s annual cabin trip with his dad. As important these trips were for father and son to bond, Eddie was crystal clear that he’d drop it all just to be able to be in the same room as Power Girl.

“Guess your experience with PG won’t be so exclusive after this, huh?” Eddie said.

“Eh… debatable, but we can take that another time,” Douglas tried to keep his smile from reaching Eddie.

“Say, you wanted something or just need to talk? Kinda went off a tangent there.”

Douglas’ mind snapped and rewind back to why he’d called Eddie in the first place. “Right, uh, the thing is- Kris’ band will be using my house to jam, but I think they’ll need some help moving their stuff. Up for it?”

“Yeah, sure I’m cool with it.”

 

* * *

 

“I’m sorry to say that Mr. Herbert had to leave early because his son got sick, so there will be no English class today,” the school counselor told Douglas’ class the following day. Needless to say, it was received as a blessing from the utopian kingdoms of the high heavens by the class. Not every day that the final class for the day gets shaved off.

Rather than going home and lull around, Douglas caught a bus hand headed over to West Point. He, Eddie and Kris had agreed to meet after school to get the drums, guitars, base and a few miles worth of cables moved into Douglas’ place. There was still plenty of time before the meet, so Douglas swung by the sweet shop just across his old school. A cold ice cream would do well in the growing summer heat. Wouldn’t be long before summer vacation kicked in, just endure the finals and they were home free. Tracking a plane across the blue skies above, Douglas nipped on his ice cream and wondered if he and Karen would do something special for the summer of if they’ll simply stay home. As if living under the same roof with Power Girl as her lover wasn’t special enough. The thought stuck in his mind like a sticky piece of gum. Maybe he should get some sort of clarification about just what their relationship were. Mother, son sort of, or lovers, or maybe just friends with benefits?

Finishing his ice cream, Douglas decided to visit the school library and read a book while he waited for classes to finish. All of the school was gathered in the gym hall, listening to Power Girl’s gun safety awareness speech. Aside from her voice coming over the speakers, you couldn’t hear a thing. Douglas peeked through the window of the door to the gym, seeing students and teachers giving Power Girl their full attention. She really did have that kind of presence, he thought to himself as he shifted his eyes away from Power Girl and tried to spot Eddie or Kris in the crowd. He couldn’t make them out, though it was possible that they sat behind one of the TV crews, both local and national channels had showed up for the occasion.

“-so it is important to remember that guns are not tools and certainly not toys. They’re weapons and should be treated with the respect they demand.” Power Girl paused to take a sip from a glass of water. “With that being said, thank you very much for your time.”

Thunderous applause broke the silence, teachers rising up for standing ovation and the students followed suit. Power Girl smiled and waved at them before turning her microphone over to one of the school staff, gesturing that she didn’t quite understand how to turn it off. She exchanged pleasantries with the counselor and principal before students along with the TV reporters saw their chance to get a minute of her time. Some students however saw this as their chance to shave off a precious few minutes of their hard earned freedom. Sitting on a wooden bench isn’t really all that comfortable and all the ‘cool kids’ wanted to go outside to catch a smoke anyway, so they slipped out the back door and into the parking lot. From what Douglas could tell, Power Girl humored the students with some autographs and selfies while kindly turning down the reporters efforts to get additional comments. Some men in suits cut through the crowd, caught Power Girl’s attention and ushered her towards the wardrobe, closing the door behind them.

As the gym hall started to thin out, Douglas saw his chance to slip in and look for Kris and Eddie. Peering around and sliding past mingling students, he spotted Kris by the back door, texting on her phone. His phone chimed in, letting him know that he received a text message as he walked over to her, still looking for Eddie. Meeting up with Kris, she told him that they’d have to wait a little for her band mates had gone to the bathroom. When he asked her what she thought about Power Girl, Kris shrugged indifferently. She was cool and all that, but like whatever, right? It made Douglas wonder what it would take for Kris to be star-struck. Probably some indie musician that he hadn’t heard off. As the janitors started collecting chairs and benches, Douglas spotted Eddie in the crowd and waved him over.

“Holy shit! That was so awesome!” Eddie had a grin wide and long enough to put Jupiter’s equator to shame. “I- I- can’t believe it, that was her!”

“Need me to slap that shit eating grin off your face, just to make sure you’re not dreamin’?” Kris popped a gum in her mouth and chewed on it, shaking her head at Eddie’s behavior.

“Now, now Kris. Be nice and let him have this moment,” Douglas cut, it felt good to be among the friendly shit throwing banter between friends.

“She was so BIG and tall and- and biiiiiiig,” Eddie gestured with his arms and hands, leaving little doubt what he thought was big about Power Girl.

Kris rolled her eyes, “Oh Christ, jerk it out will you?”

“Oh I will, thanks to Timmy lending me his camera we’re talking fappin’ triathlon, destination nirvana,” he held out a hand held camera as if it was a precious jewel.

“RIP Eddie Kaplin, he died doin’ what he loved; fappin’ his dick off after being blue balled by Power Girl,” Kris ended her remark with a grin that popped her gum bubble.

Douglas stole a sideways glance over at the wardrobe door on the far end of the gym. With Kris and Eddie bantering in the background, his thoughts traveled along a route that made him realize a new side of Karen. Thanks to her super hearing, Karen heard more than she often bargained for. This realization cast her reclusive human life in new light and Douglas was surprised that Eddie didn’t show any consideration, given he was such a big fan. Surely he knew about the super hearing and that Power Girl was literary in the room next door. Granted there was a wall and the full length of a gym hall between them and her, but even so. Douglas was about to tell Eddie to show some restraint when the wardrobe door opened.

Power Girl spoke with the men in suit with a low, hushed voice. The men in return checked their watches while she helped herself with another serving of water. Douglas wanted to shush Eddie and Kris outside to give Power Girl some space, but before he could speak up, Kris’ band friends made a large and loud announcement of their arrival through the main entrance. True enough as everyone turned to see who was making the ruckus, Eddie spotted Power Girl and looked like he would die a happy young man. Kris waved her friends over and as Eddie mustered the courage to walk over to Power Girl with Douglas tagging along. It wasn’t until they were half across the gym hall that Douglas wondered why he stuck to Eddie like glue. Power Girl was hardly a damsel in distress that needed saving. If anything she was well versed in dealing with fans, even the ones that danced on the line of creepiness.

She gave her suited colleagues, for the lack of a better term, a nod that dismissed them before raising an eyebrow of interest at Eddie and Douglas. “What can I do for you two?”

“Uh- y-y- the thing- I mean…” Eddie fumbled with his words, all his bravado gone like morning dew under the desert sun, leaving a stuttering fool.

“My friend missed out and was wondering if you’d let us take a picture,” Douglas chimed in. Eddie held his face in anticipation of her reply.

“Sure, why not?” Power Girl gave a light shrug of her shoulders. “Got a camera?”

“My cell has one, if I could just figure how to access it,” Douglas pulled out his phone. “Why don’t you get yourself ready, Eddie?”

Eddie looked over his shoulder, face white as bedsheets from a washing machine commercial, eyes ready to either explode or just pop straight out their sockets. Douglas just shooed him over with his hand while he navigated the menu on his phone. Standing right next to his big idol, Eddie was stiff as an ice pick when Douglas took the picture. He gave Power Girl a quick smile and a thumbs up. She wished them a good day and asked for directions to the teacher’s lounge. The star-struck Eddie still couldn’t putt two letters together, so Douglas told her to go out the main entrance, up the first flight of stairs and do a 180 degree turn to the right. A glove clad hand almost reached out and touched him, but she stopped herself and made a recovery by adjust her hair instead. As the two teenagers looked on to Power Girl, Douglas was happy that she had an open enough mind to humor Eddie despite all the things he’d said.

When the door closed and Power Girl was out of view, Eddie grabbed Douglas by the shoulders and said, “Dude, marry me?”

“Shut up Eddie,” Douglas brushed off his hands, “you were heading straight for disaster. What would you have done if I wasn’t there? Drool all over the floor?”

“How the hell can you be so fuckin’ calm bro?!” Eddie flayed with his arms, pointing at the closed doors. “That- that was Power Girl man! Mistress of motherfuckin’ might, sexiest babe in the history of ever and you- you were all chill and shit?!”

Douglas started walking back to Kris, “It’s no big deal. She’s just another person behind all those bells and whistles.”

“DAAAAAAAAMN! You have changed bro! Oh- oh- oh! You’re totally sending me that picture right?!” Eddie was practically worshipping the ground Douglas was walking on.

“No worries, but you do know you owe me for this, right?”

“Do I EVER! Like holy donkey balls, whatever you need man, I’ve got it.”

Eddie got introduced to the band members and they all stuffed themselves into a beaten up pick-up truck that had seen better days. They drove to the garage where the band had their gear, loaded up the truck and even managed to avoid any drama with the ex-vocalist. As they drove past the school again on their way to Douglas’, no one really noticed that Power Girl was standing by the window in the teacher’s lounge, arms crossed over her chest as her eyes carefully tracked the truck. Her blue iris grew to a faint glow as the truck cruised down the street. The neutral look on her face shifted to a disapproving annoyance when Power Girl saw Douglas stuffed between Kris and another girl.

As soon as they were done unloading the truck, Eddie split to check his own video as well as the recording of the news broadcast. Kris commented that the reason Eddie ran so weird was because he had a raging boner that he didn’t know what to do with. Douglas was offered a ride back home, but he declined. It was a warm summer evening and he was long overdue for visiting his mother’s grave. The walk would do him good and he’d catch a bite before heading back home. Kris looked like she’d still press her offer, but before she could speak up her band mates asked if she was coming along. Rather than following the road, Douglas choose to walk along the side of the Ohio River like he and his mother used to do. They used to walk along the river and turn inwards to the town when they reached the docks. Sometimes they even picked up some candy or ice cream from the sweet shop on their way home.

“Where are you off to?” a voice called after him, coming from above.

Looking up and squinting in the sunlight, Douglas saw the shadowy silhouette of Power Girl, her cape fluttering in the breeze. “Just a trip down memory lane and a visit to my mom.”

“Right,” she landed in front of him, “you haven’t seen her tomb stone yet, have you?”

“No, figured I might as well since I’m in the neighborhood and all.”

“Can I join you?” her tone was soft and almost timid, it reminded Douglas of how she used to talk to him when they first met while his mother was in the hospital.

“Sure you can.”


	8. Lost in Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Douglas and Power Girl loose themselves to lust for one another after he finally manages to bring her to orgasm. Power Girl starts becoming irrational in matters involving Douglas, revealing a shocking new side of herself.

For the last day at school before the vacation graced the students with its lovely presence, Douglas didn’t really pay much attention. His mind was elsewhere. No matter how many times Karen assured him that she’d rather have a child than orgasm, it felt wrong. Sure, the child was their long term goal, but should they forfeit any short-term goals by default? There was no way around it; research was required. Now the adult logic would be to simply approach your partner and ask what makes them tick, then take it from there. That option constantly got shoved aside thanks to Karen dismissing it as a non-issue before he could even finish the sentence. Figuring it was worth a shot and less embarrassing, Douglas headed to the school library after the last class of the day was over. He'd just quietly browse some relevant books and then head home. When he arrived at the library, it was just as he'd hoped for. The place was pretty much completely deserted. Douglas paced up and down the various aisles, looking for anything that might be relevant. First stop was biology and after looking at the colorful cross sections that mapped out the inner workings of a vagina, it gave him at least a starting point. 

Browsing the web on his phone proved to be a real pain, but at least it gave him access to a wide range of different approaches. On the flip side, Douglas realized that quality and quantity rarely skip down the street, happily hand in hand. There were contradictions, good advice, shitty advice and flat out terrible advice posted by trolls. Long story short, while there are general rules of thumb, each woman has her own likes and dislikes. The best approach is to talk about it and experiment until you find something that works for both of you. Douglas would probably sit in the school library for days on end, as he often got in ‘the zone’ when he was digging around for information, though when his phone started ringing it was as if reality was thundering on his front door. 

“H-hey Kris, wh- uh, what’s up?” he cleared his throat, trying to mentally shift gears from the ABC of masturbation to whatever Kris wanted to talk about. 

“Douglas, you remember Madison from junior high? Well, she reached out to me after I posted a massive rant on Facebook and offered to hook the band up with some gigs.” 

“Madison? As in, uh, wha- Shawn, Madison Shawn?” he got up from the chair and collected up his books, pinching the phone between his shoulder and ear. “Didn’t she move to Mexico after her father remarried?” 

“Bing, bong! Ten points to Mr. Sutherland,” Kris said, by the sound of it she was by the train station. “I’ve talked to the girls and they’re cool with it, so… we kinda need to leave our stuff at your place over the summer. Is that… okay with you?” 

Douglas slipped the last book into the shelf, “Hang on Kris, you guys are going to Mexico?” 

“Yeah, isn’t great?! It’s just for three weeks, but holy shit this is my dream Doug. Finally!” 

“Way too much for my stomach, but you’re not me,” he said, looking over the table for one last time to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. “Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem. Just be careful, alright?” 

“Oh I will. Don’t wanna to end up on the front page as the latest damsel saved by Power Girl,” he could practically hear her face wide grin through the phone. “Thanks Doug, you’re the best ever.”

 

* * *

 

Coming back from school, Douglas went straight to the bathroom and started exploring the various cupboards. He was certain that he’d seen it around here somewhere, unless of course his eyes had played tricks on him and it was just a glorified shampoo or lotion instead. Of course it was in the last place he looked, but at least he found it; a purple labeled bottle with an olive oil like content. Putting down the toilet seat, Douglas sat down and read the label. Do these things expire? Is there a reason why Karen haven’t used this yet? Hopefully it wasn’t due to an allergic reaction; that would be horrible. Reading the label certainly made it sound promising. _Body Boudoir Body Dew Silky Feeling Sassy Body Oil revitalizes your skin, and its feisty fragrance pairs fresh pepper and bergamot for an outstanding effect. Feelin' Sassy Body Oil also contains pheromones; you'll exude a confident, sensual energy. It's a fast way to gain a little more sex appeal, and the pheromones don't overwhelm the playful scent._ Pheromones in a bottle, what a time to be alive. He squished out a small doze and rubbed it between his fingers, smelling it. Yeah, this could work. Puffing out some air to psyche himself up, Douglas left to find Karen. 

Karen stood in her walk-in wardrobe, folding clothes before putting them away when Douglas found her. She caught him in the corner of her eye and gave him a faint smile, her hands busy. Putting the hands in his pockets and resting against the door frame, Douglas felt like he’d swallowed a whole anthill. The crawling feeling that tingled from deep inside his gut boiled and bubbled, rising as he kept toying with his idea. All in all it a silly thing to feel like this when weighing the options, considering the possible outcomes. Knowing that didn’t stop Douglas’ mouth from feeling dry and his nerves tense as piano strings. As for Karen, she kept folding clothes without a care or worry in the world. If she’d noticed Douglas slight discomfort, she didn’t show it. He took in the sight of her, the woman in his life, with some faint hope it would calm him down. She wore a long green colored gilet, washed out black high waist denim shorts and a grey crop top that fittingly had the text ‘believe & make it happen’ written in black across her chest. 

Puffing out a mouthful of air, Douglas mustered a ball of courage and walked up behind her. Hesitant at first, considering to turn tail and save it for another day, the tip of his fingers bruised softly against her upper arms. Karen paused mid folding, half glanced over her shoulder with a curiously baffled shine to her eyes. No response was a good thing, or at the very least it was better than her pulling away. A little more courage was made manifest by the initial success and Douglas grew a little bolder. With loose hands, he used his fingers like the long side of a brush, slowly and steadily tracing Karen’s arms from the top of her shoulders down to her elbows. The sweater she’d been folding landed on the floor with a soft fluff and her hands rested dead at her side. 

Poking his forehead against her tall, broad back, he said, “I want to do something for you today. S-something special, if- if you’ll just- uh, humor me?” 

In his mind he was kicking himself for sounding so lame, though when he looked up at her, she stood perfectly still. A faint sniff escaped her before her shoulders shivered and her hand landed over his. He felt a light squeeze on the top of his fingers, the tension that had him balancing on a razors edge lifted and for a fleeting moment he felt like a billion, trillion dollars. It didn’t take many seconds before the consequences of her approval meant and the tension started cranking and twisting inside him all over again. He started by sliding the gilet off her shoulders, it landed neatly around her feet as his fingers coiled over her shoulders. Pressing down, he was careful not to use his nails and massaged the back as well as either side of her neck. The back of her head swayed softly form side to side as she drew a deep breath that came out as a melted sigh of released tension. 

The hair on her arms stood up while she wrapped them around her stomach as if she was trying to hold on to the very moment itself. He ran his hands over her shoulders, down her strong arms with a firm grip and found one of her hands. Drawing in his breath, his fingers locked on to hers and he pulled her towards the bed, making her do a slow pirouette. By the edge of the bed, he slide the crop top off her shoulders, baring her full breasts. She remained passive, trusting herself to him and only shifting her pose to step out of her clothes. Inviting her to lie with him, he had her on her side and kissed her neck while pushing her lovely blonde hair aside. With a soft, yet determined hand he had her roll over to her stomach and oiled his hands with massage oil he’d found in the bathroom earlier. 

His hands spread out wide, starting with her shoulder blades and tracing down until his fingers just slipped underneath her shorts. When he backtracked with his hands, the nails came into play and teasingly scraped along her spine. A sigh seamlessly melded with a sensual moan told him he was right on track as her back grew soft underneath his palms. She let out a surprised oh when he pressed against her back with his cat paw shaped hands, using his knuckles to reach deeper insider her. As he moved around for a better angle, he paused and kissed her lower back. Straddling her thighs, he pressed his thumbs down against her spine, while letting his fingers spread like wide wings that stroked her sides. A soft laugh rang for a second as he reached her armpits, encouraging him to lean in to steal a kiss on her cheek. 

Trekking back down, his hands retraced their path until they slipped underneath her breasts, the tip of his fingers barely missing her belly button. A groan, coated with a curious approval made her raise her hips a little when his thumbs made their slightly awkward slip inside her shorts. Undoing the top button took some fiddling, though a pleasant bonus was her rich laugh from the unintended tickling. He shifted a little to the side as he gently pulled the shorts and panties down her full thighs, leaving them on the floor beside the bed. Hawking a little, he took a few deep breaths; now to leave somewhat familiar territory and charge into the unknown. Stretching in the bed, she raised herself up a little, resting her weight on her elbows before she looked over at him with curious eyes. 

Pulling back the sleeves of his shirt, he rubbed hands together with a fresh batch of massage oil, which he then used to stroke the insides of her thighs. When his hands stroked with a firm, yet gentle and steady rhythm, she drew a sharp breath through her teeth as his touch got close to her sex. Tracing the curves of her inner thighs, up, over and along her butt cheeks, the tip of his oil coated fingers left her skin like brushes from a canvas. Crawling around on all fours, he laid down next to her; their eyes locked before hiding behind smiles as the tip of their noses bobbed together. Their lips tasted each other, moist and leading tongues explored and invited one another. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he leaned in and she yielded as his kisses pressed her to roll over on her back. 

Her face was blushed with a sensual pink that spread down her neckline, her lips parted as her low and excited breath made her chest rise and sink. Sealing her lips with his, he rested by her right side as his hand inched downwards. A pair of fingers made a few circles around her belly button before gliding down further, the soft ruffles of her hair telling him he was close. Her knees rose and her hips twisted in a weak protests, her moans muffled by his long kiss. Feeling his way with a soft, gentle touch his middle finger found her lips and slid past them. The most warmth pressed against his hand whenever her hips squirmed and a small point stood out against his palm. Their kiss broke, her head arched backwards enough for her ear to get mushed against her shoulder. She drew her breath through her teeth, the hissing reminiscent of a snake competed against the creaking bed sounds. 

She dripped down on his fingers, something he took as an invitation for his ring finger. Eyes grew wide and she tensed every muscle for a second before melting back down into the bed. His fingers pressed up, careful at first. Once the tip of his fingers had explored their immediate surroundings, he rested the base of his palm on her clit; adding a soft pillow of pressure. Deep in the lower back of her throat, a groan rumbled with a primal hunger for more as her thighs clamped down around his wrist. Wiggling his hand some room to maneuver, he started to make a circular motion with a whole hand. Taking his cue from how she’d grinded her hips when she’d straddled him, he altered between clock and counter clockwise, shifting speed and intensity. 

Rapid panting filled the room, her arms coiled and arced along the bed like tense snakes and the movements of her hips welcomed his hands. She started to shrink together, hiding her face behind the back of her hands when a high pitched kitten like squeal managed to slip past her crumbling defenses. Still massaging her clit with his palm, he bent his middle finger, making a 'come here' gesture. Suddenly without warning her foot shot up towards the ceiling before it came down just as fast like a sledgehammer, her heel puncturing a hole in the bedside table. The loud crash and unexpected violent response made him retreat his hand in reflex. For several long minutes, the room was silent save the sound of heavy breathing before her contagious laughter started rolling in. 

“So… I take it that’s, uh, normal?” Douglas asked. 

Karen looked up, resting her weight on her elbows, her blushed face coated with a thin layer of sweat. “Yea- no, not really. It was just… unexpected, in a lot of ways.” 

“Good, that’s good,” he said, sniffing his fingers lightly. “You had me scar-” 

She threw her crop top at him, “Stop smelling you perv!” her tone had a thin veil of disgust to it, though her playful smile showed no offence taken.

 

* * *

 

There was a noticeable change to Karen the following days; she became more playful and she seemed to be brimming with joy. It became even more obvious when Douglas mentioned that Kris was not only out of town, she was out of the country. There was this hunger in her eyes, it felt like she was stalking Douglas with her gaze at every turn. If a chance presented itself for her to cuddle, stroke or touch him, she practically pounced at it. When agent Reese advised Karen to lay low, since her critics were on a serious roll thanks to the Vegas shooting, her response was a grin wider than the Grand Canyon and a thumbs up. She and Douglas settled into a routine where they’d sleep in a few extra hours, have breakfast, get the boring chores out of the way and then leisure away the remainder of the day. It didn’t take many days before they discarded retreating to their respective bedrooms for the night, so Douglas would start wake up in the guest room bed with Karen’s arm folded over him. “Morning Karen,” he said, kissing the back of her hand. 

“Mmm… did you start the washing machine last night?” 

“Not sure, I thought you did?” 

“Oh well, the sheets were just wet from sweat for the most part,” she rolled over on her back, shielding out the morning sun with her hand. “It’ll come off in the wash.” 

Douglas swung his feet out of the bed, absentmindedly kicking a torn t-shirt aside before he said, “What do you say to pizza for breakfast?” 

“Leftovers from yesterday?” Karen blinked the sleep out of her eyes. “Yeah, cold pizza and warm coffee should hit the spot.” 

She slugged her tall frame over to the bathroom, picking up pieces of clothing here and there while biting down a yawn. Douglas on the other hand looked around for his boxers, only to find them with the fabric barely hanging on to the rubber band. Bundling it together and tossing it into the trash like a basketball, he wrapped Karen’s bathrobe around himself instead. As his arm slid through the sleeve, he flinched and drew a sharp breath. His shoulder didn’t like to move at certain angles it seemed. Most of his joints protested as he climbed the stairs to the second floor and when he caught his reflection in the window, Douglas couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. Give him a loose cap and dye the bathrobe a different color and he’d look like Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. “Oh, right. Coffee, coffee,” he said before turning back downstairs to the kitchen. 

After cooking up a fresh batch of coffee, Douglas fumbled through the cabinets for cups. He was too awake to go to bed, but at the same time too tired to do anything constructive beyond a cheap zombie act. He helped himself with a cup of coffee and took a sip. The initial reaction was searing hot, followed by a god awful aftertaste. Pondering things over for a moment, he figured it would be worth a shot to tone down the taste with some sugar. A couple of teaspoons and a good stir later, the drink was still highly unappetizing. It made him wonder how Karen, or anyone else for that matter, could stomach the stuff. With the warm steam and rich aroma from the coffee swirling around his lips and nose, another idea managed to catch his attention. Milk or a dash of cream might help. Even adults use milk in their coffee, or at least some do. Another taste and all Douglas could conclude was that coffee wasn’t his cup of tea. It tasted even worse with milk, an odd contrast of cold and warm drink not properly mixed, like oil and water. “I’m probably doing something wrong, but I’m too tired to figure out what,” he let out a defeated sigh, “and I’m talking to myself.” 

Karen came in, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her waist. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before helping herself with some coffee. She cupped the jug, a sleepy smile on her face as she let the steam from the coffee wash over her face. For what felt like a small hour they just stood there, leaning against the kitchen counter, enjoying the quiet morning. “It’s a good thing you don’t have any nearby neighbors,” Douglas said at last. 

“Eh, it wasn’t that bad,” she waved a dismissive hand. 

“Shouting ‘piston fuck me’ isn’t bad?” 

Karen shrugged, hiding behind her coffee jug. “Y-yeah, okay. In hindsight was bad, but it sounded appropriate at the time.”

 

* * *

 

After breakfast, Karen took Douglas to the local gas station to give him the run downs on how to fuel up the car. He’d opted for flip-flops, shorts and t-shirt while she sported a trendy spaghetti strap black & white striped tank top, along with a high-waisted denim skirt and some heeled sandals. A thing he took notice of was that Karen turned a lot of heads initially, but they lost interest and didn’t let their gaze linger. He speculated that it might be due to her showing so much skin that her muscular build laid bare. It was certainly not a look for everyone, despite the immediate appeal of a large pair of breasts. Not that he was complaining, less competition and what not. That said, Douglas admitted that it would have been pretty fun to watch Karen reject some random guy hoping for a quick summer flirt. “Doug, are you listening?” 

“Uh… no, not a word. Sorry.” 

“Okay then, from the top,” she said, pointing at the gas pump. 

They went through the steps one more time, with Douglas actually listening this time around, before they paid and drove off. With Karen behind the wheel, they drove to Muldraugh and swapped seats. Douglas followed Karen’s directions which took them up and down small sideways, quiet neighborhoods and open trailer parks. It wasn’t until they were on their way to a local grocery store for some quick shopping and parallel parking practice that something actually noteworthy happened. A police cruiser came up behind their car and flashed its siren to make them pull over. Flustered and looking around nervously, Douglas’ hands accidentally flipped both the windshield and the turn signal. Karen on the other hand seemed to dismiss it as just another minor annoyance. “Calm down Douglas, just pull over to the side here,” Karen pointed to the shoulder of the road. 

Douglas fidgeted in his seat, trying to look over his shoulder. “Wha-why… was it something I did wrong?” 

“Relax, deep breaths Doug,” Karen put her hand on his thigh. “Now, roll down the window, put the car in neutral and have both your hands on the wheel. It’s probably just a routine check or something.” 

“G’day,” the police officer said, peeking through the side window. “Driver’s license and registration please.” 

Karen tilted her head forward, a polite smile on her face as she said, “Good day officer, we’re practice driving. Mind if I get my license from my bag?” 

The officer gave a short nod and after a quick search Karen handed him the papers he’d requested. He looked them over before he excused himself back to his car. Karen’s face betrayed subtle traces of annoyance as her eyes traced the officer until he was out of sight. Douglas was about to speak up when she raised a finger to her lips, prompting him to fall silent. A sharp scoff escaped her before she turned forward, her arms crossed across her chest. “Sexist pig…” 

“Everything’s in order. Have a good one Ms. Starr,” the officer said, flashing a toothy grin as he handed back the papers. 

Karen just smiled a formal smile, her hands resting in her lap. After a brief awkward pause Douglas picked up the papers and passed them over to her. The officer mumbled something under his breath before leaving, Karen's eyes stabbed his back with a myriad of daggers every step of the way.

 

* * *

 

Shopping for vegetables wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, but they compensated with buying a couple of large watermelons for dessert. While Douglas and Karen walked around the small shop and checked off the various items on their list, he couldn't help but to notice that once again Karen had the effect of turning people's heads. Raised eyebrows, mouthed 'hot damn' and eyes with a hunger to them seemed to be the most common response. By the time they've reached the cashier, the other customers had collected enough courage to turn to whistling and catcalling. Tiny cracks and dents showed in Karen's composure, though Douglas was convinced he only spotted it because he knew what to look for. 

“Hey sexy,” a man called after Karen as she and Douglas crossed the parking lot, “you need help with 'em bags?” 

Douglas glanced over his shoulder, “We're good, thanks.” 

“Wasn't talkin' to you, kid.” 

The man jogged lightly to catch up, blocking Karen's path. “Yes? Is there something you want?” she said, tired of humoring yet another man-child. 

“I want you to sit on my face.” 

 “Why? Because your nose is bigger than your dick?” She scoffed at the man. “Come along Doug, let's go home.” 

Karen walked past the man, her shoulder bumping into his and started putting the shopping bags into the car. Douglas on the other hand was quite dumbstruck. Talk about gunning down a guy with words alone, heck that was more like blowing him clean out of the sky. He'd always suspected that Karen knew a thing or two about dealing with assholes and creeps, but seeing and hearing it play out in real life was easily exceeding his expectations. The words 'well played' kept running around inside his head like a carousel that was a feast to watch. 

“Aww yeah?” It had taken a handful of seconds for the man to recover, but now he was going in for round two. “You go home with your little doggie. Doggie gonna get a treat? Hmm? You spread your legs and he licks?” 

There was a cracking sound as if a rock suddenly snapped under pressure and before Douglas could registered what had happened Karen was pinning the man down, punching his face. Three punches in and Douglas dropped his bags, darted over to Karen in a futile attempt to make her stop. He locked both arms around hers as it came up for another punch, the touch of her arm made his gut feel like a solid chunk of ice. Karen's arm lacked all the tender softness he'd grown so familiar with. This was no arm, it was a massive flint rock carved into the shape of an arm. Just when he made that connection, Douglas felt his footing slip as he held on with every fiber of his being and he came along for the ride as Karen landed another punch. 

Dozens of tiny splatters of blood covered his glasses, his brain sloshed around inside his skull. In the corner of his vision he spotted busy feet scrambling close and shadows leaning in over Karen. Grunts, shouting, sobs, gurgled pleas and foul language washed inside Douglas' ears like powerful waves from an angry sea. There was almost a chilling consistency to the punches, like a blacksmith banging a piece of stubborn iron into whatever shape was needed. Deliberate punches with a clear and precise intent. Worst of all, they were not stopping. Douglas rolled over, covering the man's bloody and battered face with his own. 

“Karen! Stop!” their eyes met and Douglas blood turned to ice water fresh from the arctic. 

Those vibrant blue eyes, normally shifting between loving patience and warm humor were gone. In their place were the eyes of a beast, one that furiously tucked and pulled at whatever chains that held it back. He'd seen Karen angry before, but not like this. Justified anger was tempered, controlled and contained like a fireplace. This was not anger, it was rage black as coal. It would shatter mountains and boil entire oceans away to deserts if given the chance. At the sound of his voice and the look of his terrified face, Karen froze, blood splattered fist raised high and trembling with tension. “Move,” the word cracked past her teeth like a glacier. 

“Jesus Christ Karen,” Douglas said, his arms trembled from an exotic cocktail of adrenaline and fear, “you've won. Alright? P-point made, loud and clear- So- so just... breathe, okay? Calm down.” 

Tension melted away from Karen's body and finally the small crowd managed to pull her away from the man. Douglas moved aside and looked down at the fruits of Karen's assault. His face was swollen, bruised and bloodied, the gut wrenching cries from deep behind his nose and throat sounded so surreal. Men don't cry, at least not so openly and shamelessly. As a bystander cupped the man's head, Douglas pulled off his t-shirt and bundled it together as an improvised pillow. He clasped the man's shaking hand in both of his, a small gesture to ensure safety and above all confirmation that the nightmare was over. Outside the frames of his glasses, Douglas glanced over to where Karen stood, defiant against the small group that chewed her out for what she'd done.

 

* * *

 

Karen sat on one side of the table, handcuffed hands resting in her lap, Douglas and agent Reese on the other. Police had taken the two of them in and at some point during the paperwork, agent Reese apparently got the wind of it. Initially Douglas was quite impressed, then he realized that they weren't in the thickest world metropolis, but in small time Muldraugh. News travels fast, especially if you're looking for anything that involves a particular person and it was safe to say agent Reese knew how to do his job. As for the interrogation room, it was pretty much what you'd expect from a small town police station; simple, barren and not seen a fresh coat of paint in at least 15 years. The only furniture were hard wooden chairs that refused to let you find a comfortable position that would last in the long run and a cold metallic table, scratched and dented with an old post-it book underneath one leg for balance. 

“First the good news, he's not pressing charges,” agent Reese said. 

“Seriously?” Douglas said, his mind racing to connect a pair of elusive dots. “He could sue her to the moon and back. Why on Earth-” 

Agent Reese looked over at Karen, his eyes stern as he said, “Because someone put the fear of God into that poor man.” 

Douglas followed his gaze, though his eyes were neither stern nor hard. Instead they showed a troubled mix of fear and awe. Karen looked down on her hands, avoiding their eyes and judgment. The handcuffs clattered as she put her hands on the table, absentmindedly plucking off flakes of dry blood from her hand, crunching and spreading it between her fingers as if they were a fine spice. Douglas swallowed and sunk back in his chair. This... thing on the other side of the table was not Karen or at the very least it was a side of Karen he'd never experienced before. Quite frankly he sincerely wished this would be a one-time event, although that was one too many. 

“Now then,” agent Reese straightened and folded his hands on the table, “what the hell happened?” 

Karen looked up for the first time, a glassy indifference shone in her eyes. “Provoked. Lost temper. Attacked.” 

Agent Reese rubbed his forehead as he spoke, “Seriously? You're no stranger to catcalling.” 

“Listen, agent Reese,” Douglas pursed his lips as he coaxed himself into the conversation, “for what it's worth it wasn't until I got dragged into it th-” 

“Douglas, be quiet,” her tone left little doubt that he was in way over his head. “Wait outside.” 

“But Kar-” 

“Outside. Now,” Karen pointed at the door with both hands. 

From outside in the hallway, Douglas looked at the blurry silhouettes of agent Reese and Karen through the wire meshed window. Their voices were muffled as the conversation went back and forth, seemingly increasing in volume. At some point Karen slammed against the table and shot up from her chair, pacing the room like a restless, caged animal. Agent Reese on the other hand remained calm in his seat, Karen's tantrum had next to no effect on his composure. Feeling the chill of the AC on his naked shoulders, Douglas headed outside to wait in the warm summer sun. On his way out, he let the receptionist know who he was in case agent Reese came looking for him.

 

* * *

 

A small rainbow curved over the driveway as Douglas sprayed the side of the car with the garden hose. With the whole car soaking wet, he went for the bucket with warm soapy water and started to scrub away with a sponge. Busy hands ran over the metal and glass, pausing only to get a fresh batch of water from the bucket. With ear plugs playing an audiobook, Douglas didn't hear the black SUV that dropped off Karen. The sight of her walking up to the manor made him pause, he simply stood there while he wiped his hands dry. 

“Long time no see,” he said, pulling out the ear plugs. 

She looked at him, a tired face that showed hints of relief. “You're a sight for sore eyes, sweetie.” 

“So... where've you been the past two weeks?” As far as Douglas knew, Karen had been picked by colleagues of agent Reese at the police station, no answers given. A couple of police officers took Douglas home shortly afterwards. Since then he'd been passing time by doing chores and reading books. 

“Fort Knox,” Karen said, standing by the car and looking at her reflection on the side window, “doing anger management therapy and some psychological evaluation.” 

“You're... rather calm about the whole thing. Something tells me this isn't the first time-” 

“No, Doug. Not it's not. They want to keep tabs on me, because who I am and what I can do.” She drew a breath while looking up at the clear blue skies. “I check in with them twice a year or so, chat with the doctors and they take notes. Then we shake hands and go our merry way.” 

Douglas picked up the garden hose and started washing the soap off the car. “So you and agent Reese are cool now, right?” 

“Ice cold. I need to take a shower, so see you in a bit,” she ran her finger across her forearm while making a face. “Unless you want to join me.” 

“No... Uh, I nee- should finish this off,” he gestured at the car. “Appreciate the invitation though. Good to have you back Karen.” 

“Great to be back sweetheart.” 

After dutifully cleaning the car and packing away the watering hose, Douglas glanced at the clock. He'd been at it for almost an hour and a half, so he had more than enough of outdoor sunshine, especially the warm summer sun. The car was conveniently parked in the shade, it was a warm, sunny day and the car did have air condition. Maybe, just maybe a quick little break was due? Opening the door, Douglas put the key in and turned on the air condition before he settled into the backseat. With faint hints of cold air softly touching his skin, Douglas felt like melting into the seats and end up in a puddle on the floor. A light tapping on the window made him jolt in his seat, his head whirled around as he tried to get his bearings. Karen’s muffled giggles could be heard from the other side of the car window, Douglas shooting her an embarrassed pout with his eyes while he straightened in his seat. 

“Slept well?” she said as soon as she opened the door. 

“Wha-? I dozed off?” Douglas fingers slipped behind his glasses as he rubbed sleep from his face. Karen nodded while she crawled into the seat next to Douglas. 

“Just a few minutes. I figured I should wake you before you started drooling.” 

He was about to respond when she stopped his words with a soft kiss. Still on all fours, she continued to taste him as a hand reached for his shoulder, pressing him back and down in his seat. It was good to have her back, tender and gentle rather than hard and violent. As nice as making out in the back seat of the car was, it was getting a little on the claustrophobic side. When he tried to push back or break of the kisses, she gave chase with disapproving grunts and moans. Push soon escalated to shove, to which she responded by grabbing both his wrists with one hand. He ended up lying on his back across the backseat, and she tied his hands above his head using the seat belt. As a kneejerk reaction to the restrains, his feet kicked about in protest. In response to his objections, she placed a firm finger on his lips while putting pressure on his thigs. There would be no escape; that much her face told him and he sank down. She pulled his t-shirt up underneath his chin, dabbing his bare chest with fat kisses and wide tastes of her tongue. A thumb slipped down her blouse, shooting downwards like a bolt of lightning, making it snow a dozen small, white buttons. While she cupped his face in her hands, her bare chest rubbed up and down his. Their faces were less than an inch apart when she came closer still to snuggle against him and to nibble on his earlobe. Her body felt like a thick, warm mist. Even with the AC working overtime to compensate, an overly humid claustrophobia started to crawl inside his brain like angry ants. 

“Stars above, I’ve missed you,” she said, her voice sounded distant and vapid. “Thought a cold shower might do the trick but- I guess not.” 

Pulling herself up as high enough to bump her head on the ceiling, all of her fingers spread out wide as they tracked down his naked chest before coiling themselves around the top of his shorts. An excited chuckle escaped her as she held his warm, hard member in the palm of her hand. The look on her face was ecstatic, partially biting down on her lip. Behind the covers of her bright blue calf-length skirt, he could somewhat make out shadowy forms as she guided him inside her. The airy woven fabric bellowed aside as she took him in one thrust. His jaw clenched hard enough to chew diamonds, and he tugged at his restrains as she sat on top and started to grind to her heart’s content. There was no love or affection in her movements. Each thrust repeated the same few words ad nauseam; a hunger must be filled, so let us feast. With her relentless chase of stimuli, it didn’t take long before he was spent. As a last effort to tell her, he pushed his hips against hers as the climax surged through his spine. He’d barely sunken down back to the seat when her hand disappeared behind her skirt, shaking rapidly. Her whole body tensed up and froze while a faint squeal managed to slip past her lips. Then she sank down, snuggling against his cheek.

 

* * *

 

Douglas ran the back of his hand underneath his nose, sniffing and blinking while trembling fingers held his shorts in place. Through the car window he could see the stain left on the leather seat. A growing ball kept swelling in the depths of his throat, as if he was just an excuse away from vomiting. The gravel in the driveway rattled in protest as he turned and started towards the manor. It looked so big, tall and looming with a darkness that not even the summer sun could drive away. Douglas drew a trembled breath and walked down the hallway, his eyes alert as the shifted from the master bedroom door to the kitchen door. With the door to his room coming into view, he his feet urged him on and he stole quick glances over either shoulder. The door flung open and closed with a bang, his knees failed to hold support him as he slipped down. 

After a shower, Douglas stood by the sink holding his glasses under running water. All the snuggling and cuddling Karen had indulged herself with had left marks on them. Finally happy with how they looked, Douglas left the bathroom for a new set of clothes. The shorts and t-shirt he’d worn earlier were left in the trash. After grabbing some random clothes, he started for the front door. Looking out at the hallway as he stood in the doorway, just getting his feet over doorstep was no small feat. A few times he came close to shutting the door, though each time he stopped with a small gap to spare and his hand firmly on the handle. Finally he drew a sharp breath and held it as he stepped over the doorstep, his steps short and fast. He felt the blood flushing to his face, practically boiling underneath his skin as the guest room door came closer and closer with each step. A series of clacking sounds from the second floor made Douglas jump out of his good skin, releasing his breath and some fat drops of salvia for good measure. Fingers ran over his lips while his eyes, gaping wide, looked in the direction of the sound. Nothing, just Karen shooting some pool upstairs. 

“Listen, Karen…” he said out to the empty hallway, “I-I’ll just go for a walk, get some ice cream so… don’t freak out, alright?” 

His walk took him to a place called Twiggy’s, a small pub like place. It sported a bar at the far end with a couple of tables with black leather benches on either side. Aside from the elderly gentleman tending the bar and a middle aged couple sharing a few beers, the place was empty. Douglas walked up to the bar, hesitant and humble as a kitten lost in a storm. The bartender raised a curious eyebrow, twitched his pitch black mustache before shrugging and resting on the bar. Douglas just flashed him a quick, halfhearted smile and looked at the bottles lined up behind the bar. “What’ll it be, stranger?” the bartender asked. 

“Oh, uh… I’ll- what do you recommend?” 

He leaned towards Douglas, squinted his light brown eyes as he said, “You ah- look kinda young to be havin’ any of the usual.” 

“Heh, you’re right about that,” Douglas said, folding his hands on the bar and looking intently at his palms. “Not that I’m- listen, I just-“ 

“Trouble with the lady, right?” 

Douglas sighed, avoiding the bartender’s gaze as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Is it that obvious?” 

“Kid, you’re like an open book, if you’ll pardon my saying so.” 

The door opened and the bartender gave the new guest a polite nod with his chin. While Douglas sat by the bar, swimming in the sea of his troubles, the bartender gave him some space and started stacking beer glasses. A tall figure took a seat next to Douglas, putting a large cup of milkshake on the bar. He looked at the cup, moist with droplets of water on the outside and as his eyes traveled from the cup to the stranger, he came face to face with Karen. She just sat there, silently drinking her own milkshake. When she put the cup down and looked at Douglas he saw in her blue and brown eyes a dozen different variations of remorse. 

“I’m sorry.” 

It was such a simple string of words, yet they wedged themselves into the hole in Douglas heart and twisted around. Softly she slid the milkshake over to him and quietly retreated her hand. For a long while they just sat there, listening to Douglas’ soft, muffled sobs. The bartender politely put a box of napkins on the bar and carried on as if nothing was amiss. After slow minutes had come and gone, Douglas picked up the milkshake and started to drink. 

“It’s good,” he said, swallowing down both the shake and the ball of emotions that bobbed and floated at the bottom of his throat.


	9. Why Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As summer comes to an end, Douglas starts questioning why Power Girl fell for him in the first place. Douglas learns that not only is it impossible for a human to impregnate a Kryptonian, but also that Power Girl is very weak against magic.

This wasn't where he wanted to be. Pam was in the limbo age where she should be able to be on her own, yet anyone with a 'just in case' mindset would put someone on babysitting duty. Eddie really wanted to go on the annual Power Girl convention in Louisville while his parents had to attend a work related seminar in Evansville. With Kris still in Mexico, it fell on Douglas to keep an eye on Pam. Eddie was grateful for the assist the moment Douglas arrived at his house. Karen had not been of much help in getting Douglas out of babysitting duty either. She'd suited up for the first time since the summer holidays started and found herself up to her ears after a bombing took place inside the Erawan Shrine. 

With all said and done, the whole babysitting affair simmered down to really nothing. Pam was, despite Eddie's opinion, quite the level headed kid who didn't cause any fuss after eating leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. After they'd done the dishes, Douglas helped himself with some snacks and soda while Pam surfed the TV channels for anything remotely interesting. The Thailand bombing was all over the news and for a while Pam watched closely, perhaps due to an influence from her brother’s obsession. “Pretty crazy, huh?” she nodded at the TV. 

“Yeah, you could say that again,” Douglas took a seat next to Pam and passed her a can of soda. 

“Sucks. Eddie's gonna be all pouty tomorrow since it looks like she dodged the cameras this time around.” 

“Maybe she’s just want to ease into it again after that school shooting?” 

Pam cracked open his soda and took a swig, “Maybe.” 

Swapping channels once more, Douglas was a little surprised that they'd managed to catch a bolt of lightning in a bottle; MTV was actually playing a music video for once. It was the old school classic Brilliant Disguise by Bruce Springsteen. Listening to the song, Douglas remembered how Kris used to poke fun out of him for preferring 'daddy rock' over other genres of music more fitting for his age. There were some pieces of the lyrics that escaped him, since the good Mr. Springsteen had a habit of mumbling out the words rather than articulate them clearly. 

With nothing better to do and the tune now firmly jammed into his head, Douglas browsed the web on his phone looking for the lyrics. The first thing that struck him as he read over the lyrics was how it nailed his relationship with Karen. Some of the emotions expressed in the song included confusion, jealousy and anxiety about whether the singer's wife has become a stranger to him. Granted, he and Karen weren't married, but then again by this stage it felt more like a minor technicality than anything else. 

“Heard Kris’ flight will land tomorrow,” Pam said, helping herself with a handful of chips. “You coming? Pretty sure she’d like a welcome committee now that she’s a huge international success.” 

Douglas looked up from his phone, blinking away his thoughts while scrambling for a response. “Uh, I’m not sure.” 

“C’mon Douglas, the more the merrier right? Also don’t leave my brother all alone on luggage duty.” 

“I’m not exactly super mobile Pam,” he tossed his phone away. “Still no driver’s license in sight.” 

“What’s up with that? Thought you and Ms. Starr were, like, driving 24/7?” 

“We got…” Douglas made a gesture, fishing for the right phrase. “…sidetracked a little.” 

Pam threw the remote on the coffee table before slumping back into the sofa. “Aaah, rich people problems, am I right? If you’re loaded like Ms. Starr, you probably gotta keep smacking those gold diggers away with an iron pole or something.” 

Douglas shrugged and picked up his phone again. He looked over the lyrics from top to bottom, over and over again. Each time it seemed to nag and bother him more and more, like a small pebble in his shoe. Karen had changed since he'd met her, that much was certain. She'd started as an enthusiastic eccentric with poor sense of direction, then shifted to one of the richest women in the state, then she escalated to the superheroine Power Girl and last but not least, she'd become Douglas' lover. Or he became her lover, he wasn't quite sure which way that door swung, if it swung at all. Regardless the nagging question that kept growing in Douglas mind was as simple as it was complex; why him? “Listen, Pam.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Does Eddie have some sort of book covering all the information he has on Power Girl?” 

“Say what?” Pam straightened in her seat with a confused expression on her face. “Where did that come from?” 

“Just curious,” Douglas shrugged. “I mean, he's the most dedicated fan I know of, so it makes sense he has a record of sorts, right?” 

“Douglas, we're in 2015 – everything is digital in this day and age,” Pam said, her groaning suggested it was such an obvious answer, it hurt to say it out loud. “However… he does have a bunch of newspaper clips and what not from the freaking stone age. Like before the internet, when people relied on candles for light.” 

“It's a bit disheartening that you so easily dismiss the printed media,” Douglas took another swig of his soda, “but is there any chance I can have a look at that book?” 

Pam started to chuckle and all of her efforts to keep it contained only fanned the flames. As the chuckle rose and paused because she swallowed down the wrong hole, coughing and laughing at the same time, Douglas just sat there mildly annoyed. “Oh Douglas, you say the weirdest thing, you know that? Hold on, lemme get it for ya,” Pam got up and walked over to the bookshelf, giggling a little to herself sporadically before handing Douglas an open book. “Here, this is Eddie's homemade unofficial autobiography of the woman of steel.” 

Douglas adjusted his glasses a little and looked down at a random news clipping, the glue had soaked through the paper, making the first paragraph hard to read. Reading it, he paused and frowned. He read the same two paragraphs over a few times and checked the handwritten date on the side. The article looked both official yet was quite old; published in 1985. It said in blunt words that Power Girl could not have children of her own, her own biology wasn’t compatible with humans. Leading scientists all rejected the notion, comparing it to splicing humans with any of the great apes. “Douglas, hello you okay?” Pam asked, snapping her fingers at Douglas. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

“Huh? Oh,” he squinted up at Pam before his gaze sunk down on the book he had in his lap. “Yeah… Listen, can I borrow this?” 

“Aww shit, did I wake up the book wyrm from its-” Pam was cut short by the phone ringing. “Yeah, I don't think Eddie would mind. Hello? No, Mr. Edwards. They’re not here, they’re at the seminar.”

 

* * *

 

He paced back and forth across his bedroom floor, the clustered pages of Eddie's 'autobiography' looking up at him. The cold sweat along with a bowling ball sized boulder in his guts that rolled slowly from side to side with each step made it hard to breathe. Douglas hadn't been like this since he first learned that Karen and Power Girl were one and the same. He struggled and wrestled with the new information that had been dumped in his lap. One of the first line of reasoning he started walking was that Karen simply forgot. She led a very active lifestyle, juggled two identities along with a sizeable amount of money. Not to mention that a lot could happen over thirty years. Douglas stopped and looked over at the transparent reflection of himself on the window glass. Yes, a lot of things can happen over the span of thirty years. He didn't have to look any further than his own reflection to see proof. If anyone had told him that he'd be dating Power Girl by summer, he'd be laughing in their faces. Or he'd probably just walk away really fast without making a sound. 

The more he thought it over, the less sense it made. Being unable to have children is a pretty big deal, it's not something you forget like a pair of car keys once you've been made aware of it. There had to be something else, but what on Earth was it? Douglas slumped down on his bed, flipping through the pages of the autobiography and scanning each page for a clue or hint. There had to be something in here that would put him on the right track. When the book closed with a sharp smack, Douglas buried his face into the quilt and groaned loudly. 

“What was that? The mating call of a moose?” 

“Huh? Oh,” he looked up and saw Karen standing in the doorway still in her costume, “Karen... I didn't know you were back.” 

“Just a pit stop sweetie, for a fresh new cape and a new set of gloves.” she walked over and leaned down for a kiss. “Whatcha reading this time?” 

“Nothing,” the word plopped out so bluntly that it was guaranteed to raise all manners of flags, bells and whistles. 

Karen gave him a sideways scowl and picked up the book. “Huh, a news clipping book, didn't know these things still existed in this day and age. Think it's any good?” 

“I borrowed it from Eddie,” he said, sitting up in the bed. “Listen, do you think I could get the contact info to agent Reese or Reed?” 

“What for?” 

“Oh, you know... the stuff on the news got me thinking,” Douglas shrugged before trying to fish the book out of Karen's hands, “that if something, anything at all, were to happen to you, I'd know who to call.” 

Her face shifted from curiosity to mild bafflement as his words sunk in. With a last little nudge, the hardback book slipped from her fingers before Douglas put himself between it and Karen. For a minute she just stood there, her fingers curling repeatedly as if confirming that the book was indeed gone. With a light chuckle and a cleverly accusing finger she said, “Well isn't that sweet. You're worried about me.” 

“Well- You're all that I've got Karen,” Douglas said, pursing his lips. “Listen, I mean- even you must have limits, right?” 

“True, but,” she ruffled his hair while sporting an assuring smile, “I know what I'm doing, got years of experience. I know my limits Doug, so you don't have to worry about a thing, okay?” 

 

* * *

 

The clock struck one. Kris’ flight was right on schedule, so Eddie along with Douglas and Pam were waiting for her to collect her luggage. Despite being tired form the flight, she was talking like a pressure washer, because apparently her trip had been a massive success. The band had been a hit right out the gate with the locals and they’d pretty much been on tour, hopping from one bar to the next nonstop. According to Kris, the only reason they stopped was because of their flight back home was due and the drummer needed to be home for her brother’s wedding. “So we’ll talk it over, but everyone is stoked for going back. Hell, we might even just bite the bullet and move.” 

“Whoa, you’re moving to Mexico?” Eddie said before raising his hand. “Sick, you go girl. High five!” 

Douglas frowned and scratched the side of his nose. “Wait, what about school?” 

“What about it?” she shrugged. “It’s just one year, plus I can’t stand being back here. Not after getting a taste of the real world.” 

“Ha! High school dropout!” Pam grinned wide, bringing the bracers on her teeth out in the open. 

Kris just winked at her and stuck out her tongue. “We still need to get the go for launch from our folks though. It’s gonna be a tough sell.” 

The doors to the parking lot slid open and the gang headed towards the car. Eddie and Douglas carried one suitcase each, while Pam handled the hand luggage and Kris had her trusty bass guitar over her shoulder. They made small talk while trying to get their bearings and spot their car in the small sea that was the airport parking, occasionally gesturing left and right to one another. After circling around in a silly little donut for a few minutes Eddie toss in the towel and called his mom, who was waiting in the car for directions. Even with Eddie’s mom on the phone, it took a few wrong lefts and rights before they were finally in place. 

 

* * *

 

Shortly after they’d dropped Kris off at her place and helped her getting the luggage inside, Eddie and Douglas took their sweet time getting back to the car. The distant sound of a boom high above them caught Douglas’ ear, but when he looked up at the skies all he could see were a few puffy clouds. Shrugging it off, Douglas hitched a ride back home and as he was about to leave, Eddie rolled down the window and pulled on his shirt. “So I’m thinking barbeque later tonight, I’m sure Kris wants to gush even more about her trip once she’s settled in. Figuring around eight-ish. You in?” 

“Uh, sure. I don’t have any-” he stopped himself as he spotted Karen coming driving back, stopping in the driveway. 

She stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut, her face stern with disapproval. “Douglas, where have you been?” 

“W-we went to pick up Kris at the airport,” his eyes flickered back and forth between Karen and Eddie for support, “I left a note on the fridge.” 

Karen paused, an eyebrow curiously raised, she said, “Oh? Kris is back?” 

“That’s right Ms. Starr,” Eddie chimed in, resting his arms on the car window, “we’re gonna have a barbeque later so she can tell us all about her awesome trip.” 

“Is that so?” Karen crossed her arms and shifted the weight from one foot to another. “Too bad Douglas can’t join you.” 

“I can’t?” 

“We’ve already made an appointment, remember?” Karen’s eyes narrowed, her fingers impatiently drummed on her arm. “Driving lesson…?” 

“We… uh, was that tod-” 

“Maybe another time Eddie, good day,” she put on a crooked smile that had a faint annoyed edge to it. 

“Oh… uh, sure thing Ms. Starr.” Eddie shrunk down in his seat, rolling the window halfway up. “It’s not until eight though, so ma-” 

“Good. Day. Eddie.” 

Douglas looked after Eddie’s car as it drove off and when he could see it no more, he turned to Karen who was already heading inside. For a moment he just stood there, mouth open and not breathing. A short minute later he let out a sigh while his shoulders slumped downwards before he went in after Karen. He slipped his fingers behind his glasses, rubbing his eyes as if making an effort to clear the confusion out of the way. Having followed after Karen, they’d ended up in the master bedroom where Karen quickly started stripping out of her clothes, revealing her formfitting white suit underneath. A quick glance over at the bed showed her cape and gloves tossed aside while her heavy blue boots were lying at the far end of the room as if they’d been kicked off in a hurry. Douglas rubbed his chin and looked past Karen, into her walk-in wardrobe and noticed several hangers haphazardly lying on the floor as well as some pieces of clothing, some torn. “Okay, what was that all about?” he said, unintentionally pointing in the general direction of the front door. 

“Nothing. Just give me a minute and I’ll be ready.” 

Douglas frowned, replaying what they’d said before Karen had suited up as Power Girl. “Did we- I don’t think we agreed to have a driver’s lesson today.” 

“Well, we do now.” 

“Oh-kay…” he drew a breath and held it. “So you can drop me off at Kris’ place after we’re done, right?” 

Karen turned on her heel, adjusting one of the shoulder straps on her bra. Her answer came out as it snapped in place, “No.” 

“Wait, what? Why?” 

“Because I say so, Douglas.” 

“What, am I suddenly 3 years old?” 

“You certainly act like it,” she started collecting her clothes from the floor, avoiding looking Douglas in the eye.

 

* * *

 

Douglas sat in his reading room, carefully going over the many newspaper and magazine snippets that Eddie had collected in his book. It was for the lack of a better word, a real treasure as far as information on Power Girl was concerned. An article in particular stood out from all the tabloids, gossip and faded photographs. Even Eddie had, presumably, highlighted pieces of it with a marker pen. It was a science article about the psychology of Power Girl and how it tied to what essentially was a rampage loosely wrapped in vigilantism. 

The hypothesis presented in the article was that a rival drug gang used hypnosis on Power Girl in an effort to take out Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug lord of the Medellín Cartel and a pioneer in the Miami-based cocaine drug trade and underworld during the 1970s and early 1980s. The article rejected the myth that only the mentally weak can be hypnotized, instead it pointed out that in fact the exact reverse is probably more true. The higher your intelligence and the stronger your self-control, the more easily you are hypnotized. 

Douglas found himself agreeing with the rationale laid out by the article, that Power Girl must be a woman of exceptional self-control in order to operate her many abilities with such startling precision. Granted he'd seen first-hand that this self-control had gotten thrown out the window a few times, but these seemed more like rare exceptions than a general rule. As he read on, the article pointed out that it’s difficult to get people to do things under hypnosis that they wouldn’t normally do. While hypnotized people are still in touch with their morals and normal standards of behavior. That said, though, it is possible to reduce people’s inhibitions under hypnosis and they will more readily accept suggestions. 

Power Girl, the article pointed out, was a bit of a hot head and showed signs of anger management issues. Under the influence of hypnosis, these characteristics could be enhanced and possibly directed at a desired target, assuming you managed to get her to listen to you in the first place. All this was good and dandy as far as explaining what was going on, but it begged the question of who and why. While the article itself didn't provide those answers, the book itself gave up one last clue. Douglas noticed that this particular page on the book was frequently viewed, since the book naturally opened up to this page if left flat on its back. 

 

* * *

 

“Karen? Can I have a word?” Douglas peeked out from behind the door to her office. 

She glanced up from her computer, her eyes blinking. “Sure sweetie, what's on your mind?” 

He took a small step inside the office, the back of his heels touching the doorstep as he stood there timid and small, holding Eddie's scrapbook close to his chest. “I was thinking about going over to Eddie's.” 

Karen sank back in her chair, narrow eyes looked him over from head to toe as if trying to spot something amiss. Light fingers scratched the edges of her chin and jawline, thinking and evaluating. “Is Kris going to be there?” 

“No?” he said, before he added, “At least not as far as I know.” 

“Okay, get the car keys honey. I'll be with you in a sec.” 

Douglas waited in the car while fiddling a little with the radio when Karen took her seat next to him. The first thing he noticed was she smelled like she'd gotten a beer barrel of perfume dunked on her head. It made him cough a little and as he opened the side window he tried his best to wave the air away from his face. For most of the drive to Eddie's, Douglas tried to make heads and tails of Karen's upgraded cosmetics. As long as he'd known her, she'd been very low key in most matters regarding make-up and perfume. Not to suggest, let alone say that Karen was a slob that disregarded personal hygiene. It was more along the lines of subtle, natural look and smell. Even when she was fresh out of the shower, he'd really had to be up close and personal to really notice her fragrance. Or perhaps Douglas simply had a really bad sense of smell. 

“So, I'll call you later,” he undid his seatbelt before reaching to the backseat for Eddie's book, “or are you going out?” 

“Don't think so, I'll stay home today. Unless something really bad happens.” 

“Listen, it's not a problem Karen,” he placed a hand on her shoulder, “I can get Eddie's parents to give me a lift or maybe Kris is av-” 

“No,” Karen's tone was flat and direct as she locked her eyes on him, “call me Douglas. Promise me.” 

“Sure, sure,” Douglas retracted his hand, leaning slightly away from her, “I'll give you a call, promise.” 

As Douglas rang the doorbell, he stole a glance over his shoulder and saw Karen sitting in the car. Her hands clutched the steering wheel and her eyes appeared to trace over every inch of Eddie's house. When the door handle clacked open, Karen started the engine and slowly drove off. Eddie stood in the doorway, looking a little puzzled. “'Sup bro? Kinda unexpected to find you at my door unannounced and everything.” 

“Hey Eddie,” Douglas said, his eyes still looking at the rear end of Karen's car as it rounded a corner. “I borrowed this book when yo- When I looked after Pam, thought you'd wanted it back.” 

“Oh this old thing? Got most of it on my blog, but 'ppreciate it.” Eddie took the book and looked Douglas over a few times, followed his gaze down the street. “Dude, you okay? Is there some topless chick down the street or something?” 

“Huh? No, that's- listen, can we talk?” 

“Sure,” he took a step aside, inviting Douglas inside. “Want some watermelon? Dude, what's that smell? You co-starred in an Axe commercial or something?” 

They helped themselves to a few slices of watermelon and headed up to Eddie's room. For a while Douglas caught up with the latest news on Kris, who was working hard to sell her parents on the idea of her moving to Mexico. It didn't take long before the conversation slipped into Power Girl centric topics and Douglas saw his window of opportunity. “Speaking of which,” he leaned forward in his chair, “I spotted an interesting article in that scrapbook of yours Eddie. Something about hypnotism?” 

“Oh that,” Eddie's words were muffled behind half a mouthful of watermelon. “Just a pipe dream bro. Believe me, I've tried.” 

“Now this is unusual,” he smiled, bobbing a clever finger at his friend. “The great Eddie Kaplin calling something Power Girl related a pipe dream. You've even met her in real life, so miracles can happen, right?” 

“Remember back in 6th grade when I was all over you about mystery books?” 

“Yeah...? Yeah, you had me look up the weirdest stuff. Like the Book of Soyga, the, the Rohonc Codex, the Ripley Scroll Book and, and that... oh what was it? The Voynich Manuscript? I mean, what was that about?” 

“Well it turns out that twelve year old me did a complete brain-fart. My logic was that hypnotism and magic, two sides of the same coin. Since I couldn't get Power Girl to land in my backyard so I could hypnotize her. Not unless I set the house on fire, and even that would be a stretch, I figured I could cast a spell on her from afar.” 

Douglas sank back in his chair, some more pieces were added to the puzzle, “Ah so you had me dig up all the information on obscure magical books in hopes of finding a spell. What on Earth for?” 

“Duh,” Eddie started cleaning up the plates, “so I could make her fall head over heels for me. What else?” 

“A love spell, seriously?” he couldn't help to chuckle at the idea. 

Eddie shifted into a pout as Douglas' laughter just kept rising in volume. “Shut up dude, I was like twelve and got my first Power Girl boner the week before or something.” 

“Oh man,” Douglas was in tears, hunched over from all the laughter bubbling inside him. “Of course you got a boner from Power Girl.” 

“What can I say? I've got great taste in women.” 

They spent the next few hours talking about a wide range of topics, browsing the web for silly videos and even had a few rounds of video gaming. All the time the notion of casting a spell on Power Girl, as silly as it sounded, still nagged in the back of Douglas' mind. On one hand it made no sense, yet there was this persistent little voice that told the skeptic part of Douglas to shove it. The problem was that this little voice seemed to lack a crucial piece of the puzzle to make any sense whatsoever. 

A minor piece clicked into place when Douglas was on the phone with Karen for his pick up; by chance he caught a glimpse of Eddie's blog on his computer. Skimming over the page, Douglas noticed that Power Girl fans have noted that her heroics have become increasingly sloppy or otherwise out of character, citing the Hawaii volcano incident and the Vegas school shooting as prime examples. The blog post was dated to early May 2015 with the comments initially calling bullshit and gradually came around to the idea that something was up.

 

* * *

 

Soon after Karen picked him up from Eddie's, she wanted a summary of what they'd been talking about. When Douglas proved evasive and vague with his answers, she finally had enough and slammed down the brakes hard enough to make him lunge forward in his seat, the seat belt digging into his shoulder. “Karen, what in the world?!” 

“She was there, wasn't she?” 

A long second ticked by before Douglas managed to squeeze out, “...who?” 

“Don't play with me,” she shot him an angry glare as if all the wrongs in this world rested on his scrawny shoulders, her hands hammered at the wheel. “Kris, that dumb, stupid little bi-” 

“Karen, Karen,” he undid his seat belt and leaned over to embrace her. “Hey, it's okay. She wasn't there, honest. Just me and Eddie's family, nothing more.” 

Her fingers dug into his t-shirt, tugging at the fabric while he stroked the top of her head. “Then why won't you talk to me?” her words were muffled and distorted from talking into his shoulder. 

“Well... It's Eddie and it- you know how he feels about Power Girl, right?” she peeked up from his shoulder, her gaze worried and moist with tears. “It was just- guy's talk about... well how much badly we'd like to- uh, fuck you.” 

Karen pushed him back, keeping him on arm’s length with both hands firmly on his shoulders, “That’s it?” 

“Yeah… yeah, I- I mean, of course I’m going to be a little reserved giving you a summary of guy talk when you’re the subject of that talk.” Douglas swiped a tear away from her cheek, Karen’s head tilted gently to feel more of his touch. “Listen, okay? You have nothing to be jealous of. You have me in a way that Kris does not and there is no risk of losing me to her, alright? I don’t see her like that and the same goes for her.” 

Karen turned back to the steering wheel, fingers coiled around it, twisting and rubbing. “Okay… I’m- yeah, let’s just go home,” she allowed herself a smile and started the car again.

 

* * *

 

Late the next evening they sat in the living room, Karen going over a financial report that looked like a quantum physics equation and Douglas solving a crossword. As he stole small glances at Karen from the edge of his vision, it became increasingly clear to him that their talk in the car was losing its effect. She’d been fidgety and restless through most of the day, procrastinating work related issues in favor of being around Douglas. The concern that all the baby accessories that still dominated her office would distract her, or worse, distress her, prompted Douglas to spend time in the living room, hoping it would keep Karen calm and productive. An old saying went along the lines of: _keep the hands busy and the mind free._

“You feel for some snacks?” he said before he put the pen down and stretched in his seat. “Some salty crackers, a few slices of cheese… a glass of wine. Yes? No?” 

Karen tossed the papers aside, rubbing the bridge of her nose, “Yeah that sounds nice.” 

As far as Douglas knew, Karen wasn’t much of a drinker. The only times she’d used wine was in cooking, never as a drink. Over the months that they’d lived together they’d eaten plenty of dishes that would go nicely with wine and it wasn’t as if Karen was a frequent driver. Driving was made redundant when you could simply fly wherever you needed to go. Regardless it was time to put a little experiment into motion, so Douglas dutifully gathered cheese, crackers and poured a glass of red wine. Likewise he pocketed a twelve pack of candles in metal cups before climbing upstairs. 

“Oh? What is this?” Karen said, there was a soft purr to her voice. 

He shrugged, the wine wobbled in its glass as he put the tray down, “Just a little something special for a special lady.” 

“Aw, aren’t you a sweetheart,” she helped herself to the glass of wine, faintly toasting in his direction. 

After he’d dimmed the lights and placed the candles around small trays scattered across the tables, Douglas patted himself up and down looking for a lighter. He was just about to head downstairs when Karen’s soft giggle made him pause. Looking over his shoulder he saw Karen’s eye sockets glow with a warm, orange like color while she focused on one of the candles. The thread shifted slightly, a thin streak of smoke rose before it puffed into a tiny flame. She looked quite smug in the sofa, as she looked around in the room, igniting each and every candle. With a couple of fingers she motioned for Douglas to join him. 

“Heh, handy that.” 

“Mm-mmm,” her arm folded over him, pulling him close while she took another sip. “Scented candles?” 

“Really? I thought I picked the plain ones,” Douglas peered around into the living room, a handful of flames reflected in his glasses. “Do you mind?” 

“A little on the cheesy side,” she said while rubbing his shoulder, “but I don’t mind.” 

For a long while they sat in the sofa, cuddled together without saying as much as a whisper. Every now and then they helped themselves with crackers and cheese, sometimes serving each other. When Karen’s glass got empty, Douglas went downstairs to fetch the bottle along with a second round of crackers, acting like the good butler. A few hours later, with the candles on their last leg and the bottle practically empty, Karen’s troubles have been washed away leaving only smiles and giggles behind. Douglas excused himself to the leisure room, his hand softly held back by Karen until it slipped from her fingers. After finding a soft tune on the jukebox, he put on an exaggerated bow and asked Karen for a dance. Her rich giggle was interrupted by a snort, though she accepted nevertheless. 

“What on Earth are you playing at Mr. Sutherland?” she asked, her tone wrapped in a fake posh accent followed by girlish sniggering. 

“Why Ms. Starr, a fair dance for a fair lady seems right,” Douglas humored her with a similar accent, complete with the stiff upper class sniff fit of a British lord. “Besides, can’t complain about the view.” 

It was only then that Karen noticed that he had front row seats to her cleavage, much thanks to the difference in their height. “Oh you sly little fox,” her eyes narrowed and a clever smile curled her lips. “If that’s your angle, how about some tango?” 

At the flip of a switch her whole frame grew stiff before it took command, making Douglas struggle to keep up with her long strides back and forth across the floor. Though they were just dancing tango, or at the very least trying, there was no denying Karen’s strength. Even without her super strength, there was no doubt in Douglas mind that she could easily overpower him with one arm behind her back. The idea was both terrifying and arousing at the same time, though he’d be a fool to deny that being hugged close to Karen’s gorgeous body didn’t influence his mindset by quite a bit. As the song hit its climax and stopped on a dime, Karen spun them around and leaned heavily into him while her leg wrapped over his thigh. When they didn’t tumble over as Douglas had expected, he noted that she was surprisingly light for someone of her size. 

“Wait a minute…” he squinted his eyes at her, “You’re cheating, aren’t you?” 

She blew a raspberry, “You’re not supposed to say it like that.” 

“Well, it beats breaking a few bones from falling over.” 

“Hey, you take that back,” her legs swung around, locking around his hips and giving just a small hint of pressure. 

“You’re right, of course,” he said, planting a light kiss at the tip of her nose. “I’m sorry. It’s not many guys that have a girlfriend that can fly.” 

Her lips curled back, revealing a warm smile that complimented her faintly flushed cheeks. “Now that’s more like it. How about we… carry on downstairs?”

 

* * *

 

They tasted each other all the way out of the living room, each step was taken as an open invitation for hungrier kisses. At some point his glasses got brushed off, but neither seemed to care or take notice. The last few steps down the stairs could have ended with disaster, had she not countered with her flight. Wobbling from side to side, bumping into walls, pictures and furniture he lost track of his bearings. Neither seemed to mind, she was more than content clinging to his fragile body with her arms and legs firmly locked in place, and he could never get enough of her neckline while stroking her thighs. 

Finally after what felt like a small eternity they reached the end of the line. She let out a hearty laugh as they crashed into a door for the first time, her hand stroking its surface in search of the handle. Whether it was the wine or the torrent of kisses was hard to say, but her patience ran dry and she slammed the door with a clenched fist. It hit the door like a battering ram, wooden splinters from the doorframe showering into the room. While he greedily indulged himself to her neckline, tracing down to the upper edges of her breasts, she shifted her head around looking for the ever elusive bed. 

Her grip on him tightened and suddenly there was this new force in play that ushered both of them forward until they crashed into bed. The woodwork of the bed cracked and complained underneath them, though neither of them hardly noticed. All he saw before him was her, his hands cupping her large breasts while her fingers tore off his shirt and scraped against his skin. Her lips were dapped in hints of something sour, probably the wine. Hands slipped underneath her t-shirt, sliding her bra up and over her breasts. She put an impatient hand on the neck of her t-shirt, tearing it apart as she let a moan of relief ring across the room. 

A moist tongue traced over her ribs and stomach like a snake coiling across hot desert sand, tasting the warm skin sporadically. She twisted and squirmed in the bed, her limbs getting entangled in the sheets while she bit down on her lip. Fingers weaved into his hair, steering him further down as her legs invited him inside. The buttons on her denim skirt popped open in rapid succession and when his fingers scraped down her thighs, taking the skirt with them, all she could do was let out a trembling groan. She drew her breath in deep and sharp, letting him smell her and gently caress the insides of her legs. His thumbs stopped just short of her lips as his palms were tender in their touch. 

He spread her and kissed her sex. She flinched slightly and bit down on her finger, poking his lower back with her heels to make him advance. The broadside of his tongue took long, slow strokes against either of her lips, making point not to touch its dead center. A series of light dabs from a probing tongue tip sent small firecrackers up and down her spine. Then a finger, warm and wet from either him or her slid inside. A second finger came inside, resisting her massage as it explored her while his palm rested tenderly on her clit. Her heels kicked against the edge of the bed, making deep dents into the wood and her breathing shifted to deep pants, interwoven with warm groans. 

Releasing her, he rolled her hips to the side before climbing over her. With a hand firmly on her shoulder, he pressed her down on him, his hips meeting hers. The warmth of his sigh rolled over her cheek and her hand found his. A thrust came from below, short and firm and they settled into a slow, sensual rhythm. She could feel how his forehead pressed against the back of her shoulders, her ankle working impatiently to shake off her panties that stubbornly hung on. Their pace picked up with the bed’s battered frame creaking in protest. Lost and vulnerable in the moment, a surprised squeak sliced through the air when without warning he rolled her over on her stomach. An excited hand found its place between the bed and her stomach, trekking downwards. With the last few thrusts, he found it and trapped it between his fingers. A scream, muffled into a pillow was the last he heard before collapsing on top of her.

 

* * *

 

At the crack of dawn Douglas woke up, his mouth felt like washed out socks. A heavy arm rested over his chest, Karen slept soundly at his side. He carefully slipped out of the bed and tip toed on quiet feet over to the bathroom for some water. While he waited for the water to cool as it tickled out from the faucet, Douglas looked at Karen sleeping reflection in the mirror. Part of him wanted to just walk out the door and never look back; run, hide and pray that she’d never find him. Whenever that idea started to form into something tangible, the memory of Karen’s rage, beating a grown man to pulp with no effort, shattered it like a ten ton hammer. If something was wrong, as Douglas suspected, he wanted to set it straight. 

As far as he could tell his little experiment had paid off. There were limits to the mistress of might, a problem was that they easily exceeded his own. Plus there was little to no guarantee that a bottle of wine and a night of love making would do the trick next time around. At best it would buy him a small window of opportunity to get away from Karen’s ever watching eyes. First things first though, he needed to know just what was wrong with Karen before he could start creating a chance for him to fix it. That was of course assuming he was in any position to fix it at all. He might have to turn to agent Reese for help, turning himself in to get Karen the help she needed. The idea that he was the problem or at the very least part of the problem put some serious breaks to that plan, but for now Douglas would have to take it one step at the time. 

Karen shifted in bed, yawned and her arm patted around for Douglas. A fraction of a second after she realized he wasn’t there, she sat up in bed like a bolt of lightning, every muscle as tense as piano strings, ears alert and eyes wide. It wasn’t until she spotted him by the bathroom sink, glass of water in hand, that she slumped back in bed with a heavy sigh. He took a sip of water, knowing he didn’t have much time. For now he’d just have to be the good son and loving lover, for it was the only thing that kept Karen calm. As Douglas looked at the crooked bedframe, he spotted a small piece of paper underneath it. Curious, he picked the crumbled and dirty note up and looked at it. It had his handwriting on it, along with a weird drawing of a talisman and a big dark brownish stain. 

“Huh. Haven’t seen you since,” he paused, looking up at Karen’s naked body, “the car crash where I got saved…”


	10. Come Undone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Douglas tries to find a way to undo the arousal charm he cast on Power Girl by accident, enlisting the help of Eddie and Kris. Power Girl's irrationality reaches new heights as she tries to keep Douglas all to herself.

School would start in a couple of weeks, and just the thought of what conclusions Karen might jump to if she caught him talking to a female classmate was enough to send shivers down Douglas’ spine. He had to do something, though right now all he had was loose pieces of a puzzle that didn’t seem to quite fit. As long as he played the good son, always within reach, Karen would leave him to his own devices. Leaving the manor on his own on the other hand, was getting more challenging with each request. By the looks of things, Douglas feared that he might ended up getting home schooled instead of allowed to return to school. 

“Let’s just take it one step at the time,” he said to himself and turned his attention to his notebook. 

Douglas started to draw out a map, leaving the various clues he’d gathered so far scattered around. Dates, events and various facts that he could think of were put on paper. Problems and questions popped up at every turn. If Karen knew that she could not have children, why did she insist that was the main reason for their relationship? What could have made her forget, alternatively ignore such an important fact? For someone so, well, old and mature, Karen had started spiraling down to a level of pettiness he’d never expect. Her obsessive and possessive traits were easily starting to spiral out of control. It had already reached the level where she’d started to neglect the duties of her civilian persona. Heaven knew what would happen if, or rather when she’d start ignoring her obligations as Power Girl. 

He had to admit that he knew little about these obligations, but the world had grown accustomed to having a super powered alien doing good deeds, fighting the good fight for nearly four decades now. Karen was well enough with money on her own and as far as Douglas knew, the government did not pay her a dime for her services. Still, having someone like Power Girl as a potential loose cannon would be pretty darn low on any wish list. 

Rather than staring up at the ceiling, trying to wrap his head around politics, Douglas should focus on what was in front of him here and now. His best bet, according to himself, would be to start at the very beginning and take it from there. April 30th 2015, a storm would hit West Point and Power Girl had saved him and his mother from a car crash. His mother died later due to her injuries, but already back then Power Girl had an interest in him. Douglas hadn’t given it much thought back then, just a kind person being kind and caring to someone who’d hit rock bottom. From there Karen had slid into his life as his legal guardian and later on her cover was blown thanks to a grease fire. 

Then there was the note that he’d found, a scribbled copy of something he’d found in a book. What kind of book was it? An antique of sorts that he’d… bought for the school library or was it for himself? Speaking of which, did he still have it? Douglas looked over the bookshelves in his reading room until he found it in the bottom shelf, crocked and distorted from being soaked in water. It had really rained cats and dogs that day, he recalled. As he flipped through the pages, he made the first connection; this was a spell book of sorts. Douglas took a seat back at his desk, turning page after page. It did not match any of the books Eddie had asked him to research back in 6th grade as far as he could tell by the size and content. 

“What are you up to, Doug?” Karen’s words shot through him like a bolt of lightning, rattling him in his chair. 

“Holy…! You scared the wits out of me, Karen,” he planted a palm firmly on his chest in an effort to keep his racing heart in place. “But, uh… not much, just- reading some books.” 

“Always the bookworm,” she smiled and ruffled his hair a little. “You know, I was thinking about something go-” 

In the distance, on the edge of hearing Douglas could barely make out a phone ringing. Karen sighed and shot off like a bullet, only to return a small second later, phone in hand. Both her tone and face made a poor man’s effort at hiding her annoyance as the conversation started. She threw banter that was just a little too sharp to be friendly back at whomever was on the other end, though in the end she relented to whatever they asked of her. The plastic on the phone creaked and bent in the palm of her hand as she hung up. 

“Looks like lunch will have to wait, sweetheart,” she said as she tossed the phone on Douglas bed. “The authorities in Thailand wants to talk to me in regards to the bombings. I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay? Love you.” 

“Uh, before you go,” Douglas' hand reached around her wrist to hold her back. “Do you know any bookstores nearby?” 

Karen squinted her eyes at him as if judging his intent and honesty before she said, “Enigma Books, it’s across the street from the food market and next to Sun Star Motel. Why?” 

He shrugged and gave her his best smile, “I’ve gotten into antique books lately, and I’m wondering about this one’s history.” Douglas showed Karen the tattered book. 

“Fair enough, I suppose. Just don’t linger, alright?”

 

* * *

 

The name Enigma Books sounded very promising. With his book under his arm, Douglas wasted no time and headed over right away. Enigma Books was a good couple of blocks away from Starr manor, but with the sunny weather and being stuck inside for the past few days, the walk was a welcome change. Inside the store Douglas found a kind old lady named Kate Williams with muddy brown eyes and bright red hair. When he learned her age, 72 years and counting, he was surprised that her hair had not gone silvery white by now. “Anyways, you’re not here to sweet talk a grandma like me. What can I get you?” 

“Oh right,” he put the book on the counter. “I was wondering if you could help me figure out anything about this book.” 

“Antique, eh?” Mrs. Williams said, adjusting her thick glasses for a better look. “This little bugger been through a lot, hasn’t he?” 

“Survived a car crash, but weathered out a nasty storm earlier this year.” 

“Hmmm… handwritten. Latin by the looks of it,” Mrs. Williams nodded to herself as she turned over the pages. 

Douglas leaned in on the counter, “I recon it’s a spell book of sorts. You wouldn’t happen to know which one?” 

“Grimoire of Honorius perhaps?” 

“What’s that?” 

“Pope Honorius’s Grimoire. They say that the original manuscript was written by Pope Honorius III in the 13th century, but in fact it was a false pope named Cardus who wrote it. It’s an infamous book of magic. The striking thing about it is that you can tell the rituals have been strongly influenced by those used in Catholic Mass ceremonies,” Mrs. Williams said, her voice in a low whisper as she shielded one side of her mouth with her hand. “Except, of course, the content is Black Magic itself. There are numerous spell that claim to have been approved by the Pope. There are many legends surrounding this book. According to one, you can use it to find the location of the hiding place of the Knights Templar.” 

“Well its Latin, I’ll give you that,” Douglas nodded, “but it doesn’t look very Catholic content wise. Plus this book also contains Hebrew and French. Any other candidates?” 

“Well, there’s the Red Dragon. As a book meant for the dissemination of magic, it’s the most well-known. It’s mainly focuses on communication with spirits, how to act as a medium and it’s based on a manuscript written in the 16th century.” Mrs. Williams turned another page and sighed. “Although it was allegedly published in the 19th century. Since there is a lot of overlap with The Great Grimoire, it’s often regarded as an altered version, with various addenda.” 

“That sounds too recent,” he said as he shook his head. “I recall that the seller said it was from the 12th century.” 

“That same seller might as well said that the book was written by Bill Watterson, what’s your point?” Mrs. Williams said, eyeing Douglas over the edge of her glasses. 

Douglas took a breath before he said, “That sellers are sometimes full of bullshit?” Mrs. Williams nodded, her wrinkled face shaping up to a smile. “Still, for the sake of argument the book isn’t red, so any other candidates?” 

Mrs. Williams disappeared behind the counter and came up with a ring binder that she started flipping through, licking the tip of her finger every few pages. “Black Pullet. This is a book for the dissemination of magic called the Black Pullet,” she pointed out a paragraph on a handwritten piece of paper, torn and with a few tea stains scattered about. “It’s well-known as a popular book of magic in Japan as well. It’s said to be based on an ancient manuscript. It contains numerous charms against evil, as well as circles of protection and the chants to accompany them. The famous chant, ‘ _Elohim Essaim, I implore you_ ’ is recorded in this book.” 

Douglas frowned as he read the paragraph. “Doesn’t sound right, while the book has charms it doesn’t seem to be its main focus. Anything else?” 

“You’re a tough customer kid. I like it,” Mrs. Williams said with a wink. “How about Grand Grimoire? This is a Book of Magic published in France in around the 18th century, known as The Great Book. It covers necromancy, mainly communication with the spirits of the dead, and summoning demons.” 

“Uh…” Douglas flipped through his book, nodding a little to himself before blowing a raspberry. “The book does cover necromancy and has some French writings, but we run into the age issue again.” 

Mrs. Williams pulled a pencil from behind her ear, tracing down the index in her ring binder. “Book of Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin in the Mage,” she declared with confidence. “Now this is a famous magic book called Abra-Melin. They say it was written by the sorcerer Abraham of Wurzburg for his son Lamech in the 15th century. But some sources say it was actually written in the 18th century. It’s a book about the practices of magic, and it contains all sorts of magic squares.” 

Douglas just raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “No good, huh?” Mrs. Williams sighed. 

“Lemegeton. Popularly known as the Lesser Key of Solomon, it’s a great book of magic said to have been written by King Solomon. It’s also known as the Goetia, after the first text, or Book One. It’s compromised of four texts in all,” she showed him the page which had an old black and white photograph of it taped to the side. “It’s divided into the Ars Goetia, the Ars Theougia, the Ars Paulina, and the Ars Almadel. It contains information on powerful magic spells such as how to summon 72 demons, and other charms. It’s the most famous of all the magic books. Everyone who’s ever tried their hands at magic owns a copy of this one, along with the Key of Solomon.” 

“Very good, very close. There seem to be some summon rituals in here and the divided parts might explain the different languages,” he said as he held the book close to the photograph. “Even if it doesn’t fit the picture, it might just be a different edition.” 

“So you’re satisfied son?” she said, resting her elbow on the counter. 

“It’s the best match so far, but what else do you got in there?” 

Mrs. Williams sighed and puffed out a mouthful of air as she turned the pages yet again. “Grimorium Verum. This one’s called the Book of Truth, and it was published in Memphis by the Egyptian Aribek in the 16th century. The original manuscript was written in Hebrew, using the Key of Solomon as its guide. It’s said that a Dominican monk translated it into Japanese. There are other books of magic based on the Key of Solomon, variations such as True Black Magic, or the Secrets of Secrets, and so on.” 

“Interesting…” Douglas scratched the back of his neck. “Say, what with this Key of Solomon I keep hearing about? Got any info on it?” 

“The Key of Solomon. Of all the books of magic, this one is considered to be the most authoritative. It’s said to have been written by the Hebrew King Solomon, and there are actually records of its existence dating back to the 1st century B.C. Because of this, there are many versions in many languages. The oldest existing edition is the Greek version from the 12th century, and it’s owned by the British Museum,” seeing Douglas’ apparent interest, she turned the ring binder over for him to read. “It covers demon-summoning rituals and various ceremonies in great detail. Countless practitioners of magic have recognized its power over the years. During the 15th century it was even banned by the Church. It would be an understatement to say that all books of magic have been influenced in some way by the Key of Solomon.” 

“You know what, Mrs. Williams?” he looked up from the binder and straight into her eyes. “I think you’re an absolute treasure.” 

“Shut up kid, I know that.” 

 

* * *

 

On his way back home, Douglas hear a car honk at him and he turned to see Kris in her parent’s car. She waved him over, “Hey Doug. Got a minute?” 

Looking both ways before crossing the street, Douglas jogged lightly over to her. “Sure, what’s up?” 

“Promise you won’t laugh or freak out.” 

He blinked at her and sighed before he said, “You’re already kinda freaking me out here Kris…” 

“Okay, I managed to lose the spare key to your old place.” 

“Oh…” he felt a small stone sink to the bottom of his guts at the news. “And?” 

“And I was kinda hopin’ you could let me in,” Kris said, bracing herself for a rejection, “y’know so I can check on the gear and what not. Plus Scarlet, our guitarist, need some stuff.” 

“Ah- alright, just keep it quick.” 

For the drive over to Douglas' childhood home, Kris gave him an update on her talk with her parents. Needless to say they were less than thrilled to the idea of letting their baby girl just fly over to Mexico. A hard hitting argument was not only the high crime rate, but also the brutal nature of the crimes committed. Kris had found herself scraping the bottom of her wits when she in a last ditch effort turned to Eddie, of all people, to cover for her. She gave him a call, put him on speaker and had him going on for a solid two hours about how Power Girl was totally going to clean that stuff up. 

“-so like now, now my dad wants me to call every two days,” Kris closed the car door with a thud and pocketed the keys, “and I'm like... daaaaaaaaad, once a week should be enough.” 

Douglas smiled and softly shook his head as they walked up to the house. “They're just worried about you, take it as a compliment Kris. Some parents just don't care what their kids do.” 

“Yeah, I guess. It's just- y'know?” she shrugged and frowned. “How's stuff with you and Ms. Starr by the way? Eddie told me why you didn't come to the barbecue.” 

He gave her an awkward smile before unlocking the door, short quick steps carried him inside. “It was just- I don't know- one of those lady things?” 

“Lady things? Seriously?” Kris barely held back a chuckle before a realization apparently grabbed her immediate attention as she said, “Oh, does that mean she's expec-” 

“Lady... things or not, she was apparently having one of those days that strips you of all tact and tone,” Douglas said before he spun on his heel with a finger raised. “Not that it's a valid excuse, but at the very least it's an explanation.” 

They spent a small hour double checking that everything was in order as well as looking for the spare strings and note sheets for Scarlet. Kirs' band members had, in their brilliance, completely failed to label the various boxes. Apparently there was a system to it; that certain things were for fruit themed boxes while others fitted with vegetable boxes, obviously. The fact that Kris easily got distracted and started skipping down memory lane every now and then didn't help on their progress either. Eventually though, they found what they were looking for and nothing was missing either. 

“So all in all, I've got a good feeling about this whole Mexico thing. Doting dad bonus and all,” Kris took her seat behind the wheel while Douglas put on his seatbelt. “And?” 

“And what?” 

“What about you Doug? Are you gonna stay here forever under Ms. Starr's wing or are you gonna be like me and see the world?” 

Douglas rolled down the side window and rested his elbow on the opening, “At some point I guess, but-” 

He stopped talking as he spotted something trekking across the sky. It was like a bright ball of brilliant white fluctuating as it moved, leaving a tiny tail of brilliant white in its wake. At first he could not quite make the connection of what he was actually seeing, but then realized it was a shooting star. What a rare event to see one up so close and in broad daylight no less. A glance down the street showed that several others, pedestrians and drivers alike, took pause and watched the ball of fire until it was out of sight. 

“-but, ah, nothing as... well, sudden as you.”

 

* * *

 

Douglas had barely gotten his foot in the door when someone grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in, holding him above the floor and up against the wall. As he adjusted his glasses he saw that coal black rage in Karen’s eyes, her hand rested by her side curled together into a crude fist, the fingers on her glove had been burned off. She put pressure on him, adding another small inch to his distance from the floor, his hands trembling with either adrenaline or fear folded around her wrist and he tugged at it in some fruitless attempt to break free. For the first time ever, Douglas was genuinely terrified of Karen and the things she might do. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that if Karen snapped free from whatever had held her back in the past, he’d get the first punch. They’d probably find his teeth on the moon by the looks of it. 

“I heard you're going to leave me. I've known it for a while. I wasn't naive to the news, my mind just couldn't quite grasp it. I only see you with me because I know the things you like, I know all that you believe and all the plans of your life,” she said, the words came out like thick joint on a chain, the only thing that held her back. 

“Ka-” he started, but the sound of his voice was cut short by a punch, wrist deep into the concrete wall and just a thin inch away from his ear. 

“So take a minute to understand me, to reevaluate your mind. I'm everything you need and in this world a good woman is hard to find,” she pulled back her arm slowly, leaving a gaping hole and dropped Douglas down, who fell to the floor as his knees could not support him. “And I know you'll miss me when all is said and done, you'll think about this day and then you'll realize I was the one.” 

She left for her room, slamming the door so hard a few pictures fell off the wall, sending shards of glass flying. Douglas just sat there in the hallway, the groin of his shorts wet from piss and then the shakes kicked in. Terrible shakes as if his very soul was freezing to death, sobs and cries scraped against the walls and floor, hollow wails banged on Karen’s bedroom door and all that came back was an overwhelming silence. He could barely feel his fingers and as far as he knew, he’d either gone numb or paralyzed from the waist down. Somehow he crawled to the kitchen door, carefully brushing shards of glass aside as best he could. As he leaned against the kitchen counter, Douglas managed to calm himself enough to feel his legs. The stinging pain from scrapes and light cuts was the first indication that at the very least he wasn’t paralyzed, not permanently at any rate. 

Douglas turned to paper towels and lukewarm water to clean himself up for now. Whether it was to regain some sense of self-worth back or just a way to minimize his own mess so he’d avoid another dance with Karen’s wrath was hard to say. The sobs were still strong, rocking through his chest and shoulders like violent waves as he kept their sounds behind a hand carved out of fear, his nails digging into his skin. Part of him wanted to run, to hide and an even larger part of him just simply wanted to die. Douglas was no soldier, no cop or fireman. He was just a kid, a high schooler that was way in over his head. Where Eddie and Kris splashed around in the kiddie pool, Douglas was all alone in the ass end of the Pacific with a storm named Karen wreaking havoc around him. 

When he came to, he found himself in bed naked. How he’d gotten there he could not recall. Black out or something else, Douglas wasn’t sure. A look outside the window showed that hours had passed since Kris had dropped him off, the lawn was bathed in long, sharp shadows and a thick orange light. It was when he softly shifted in his bed that the neck at the back of his neck stood up like thorns on a cactus. He could feel her gaze on him, even without turning he could see her in his mind; a dark, towering silhouette with arms crossed across the chest, leaning against the door frame and horrible, piercing eyes glaring at him. Douglas just hunched together, holding on to his quilt like a child using it to ward off evil monsters that go bumping in the night. 

“I know you’re awake Douglas, I can hear it on your breathing,” Karen said, “and your heartbeat.” 

Douglas said nothing, he was terrified that his racing heart would somehow offend Karen and that would be the end of it. His fingers grabbed hold on the quilt more tightly as he strained his ears. As much as he didn’t want to have anything more to do with Karen, there was this morbid curiosity that edged him on regardless. 

“Listen very carefully Douglas, for I will say this only once,” she drew a deep breath. “Stay. Away. From. Kris. Anderson.” 

“O-okay…” Douglas whimpered out, all other options were long lost to him. “Uh… K-Ka-Karen…?” 

“…what?” 

“I’m so, so sor-” 

“We’re way past sorry Douglas!” Karen said as she took a step into the room. “You’ll have to do better than that.” 

It stung, it hurt, all of her words felt searing hot and razor sharp and Douglas’ mind raced around in circles until he found a faint glimmer of hope. “…uhm… th-the b-b-book, wh-” 

“Oh snap out of it! I know I have superior hearing, but this is insulting. Are you playing me a fool, Douglas Sutherland?! Huh?!” 

Douglas broke down in tears. Karen was gone, some monstrosity was walking around in her skin, spitting out words that felt like having one’s mind whipped with barbwire. Even so, at that very moment a warmth began to simmer deep inside him. It was an anger of his own, not one that he’d point at Karen. That would be short lived and futile. Instead Douglas would fan that warmth and use it to smash down his circumstances. He would not endure this a second longer than he needed to and that damn book was the key. 

“No ma’am!” his reply came out sharp, like a cracking bullwhip. “I- I just want my book back. Please.” 

“Don’t you _ma’am_ me you litt-” Karen started as she stomped into the room, yet paused just as her hand was about to pull Douglas out of bed. She left the room and as she closed the door behind her, she said, “It’s on the shelf.”

 

* * *

 

In the early hours of the following morning, Douglas sat by his desk, looking for the talisman he’d copied in his note. Since the note had thus hideous dark brown stain on it, it was next to impossible to make out the words. Hopefully Douglas would be able to read it in the book, though he’d already stumbled over several ‘spells’ that were smeared beyond reading. As he flipped yet another page he let out a sigh of relief. He’d found it, safely intact and fully readable. It was a charm of sorts, with the talisman as a central piece. It had the shape of a triangle formed from lines and the names of gods. Around the circle, a passage written in Latin that read: _Benedixitque illis Deus, et dixit ad eos: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subjicite eam._

Okay, so just what did it do? What did that really mean? Douglas ran it through some translation software he downloaded on his phone and was almost floored by the end result, which read: _And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it_. That explained where Karen got the baby idea from, despite that she could not have children on her own. This, for the lack of a better term, arousal charm had essentially hardwired Karen to put baby making as her number one priority. Or at the very least on her priority list, though Douglas speculated that her inability to complete her ‘programming’ bumped it higher and higher on her list. Likewise this conflict might have caused some sort of negative feedback loop, making Karen spiral out of control. 

As far as why Douglas, of all people, it might be related to the stain on the note. From what he could tell, a lot of spells required blood in some shape or form. Either the blood of the target of a curse, or the blood whom should receive the fruits of a blessing. Since the note was written by him and had his blood on it, Karen fell head over heels for him? It matched what she’d told him after they’d made love for the first time. Christ that felt like generations ago. Anyone and their kitten would agree that magic, curses and blessings was just a big bag of silly stuff. So why did it work? If magic was such a sure fire thing, with apparently a 100% success rate, people would be turning lead into gold seven days a week, right? 

“Ugh, what am I missing?” Douglas said, making silly faces as he looked at the ceiling. 

Maybe it was with Kryptonians only that things worked, maybe it was something with Karen alone and not Kryptonians in general or maybe it had something to do with long distant stars that had stopped burning ages before the Earth was ever formed. Whatever the reason, Douglas needed a way to undo it or he feared he would not live for long. God knew how Karen would handle him passing away. Douglas suspected that even God didn’t want to know how that would play out. He turned his attention to the book again, looking for something to undo or otherwise break a spell. It was doubtful that the arousal charm came with its own custom made anti-charm, so for now Douglas looked for general purpose spell breakers. 

After hours and hours of searching, Douglas had come up with one. Just one lousy little spell that was either a breaker or a barrier, depending on the translation. It was a long shot, one for the books of long shots in history, but right now it was all that he got. For maximum effect, Douglas figured it would be best to weaken Karen as much as possible. While true that the arousal charm was cast on her while she was in her prime, there was nothing in the book that suggested that this new spell would work in the same manner. Plus it certainly wouldn’t hurt to downscale Karen’s powers to ‘mere human level,’ though even then she could still beat Douglas to a pulp with one arm behind her back. Those muscles were not just for show. 

Another thing to consider was Karen’s state of mind. Douglas speculated that Karen’s mind was deteriorating and if he could get her to lower her guard both mentally and physically, she’d be more susceptible to outside influence. Lowering her guard might be a tall order, so perhaps a distraction would serve just as well. There was no helping it, Douglas needed help from the outside in order to pull this off. Of course there was no way he could talk about it over the phone with Ms. Bloodhound stalking the manor, let alone simply walk out the front door. 

Up in the leisure room Karen sat on the edge of the pool table, cue stick in hand as if it was a spear while she eyed the layout, weighing her options. Douglas approached her and put a bottle of Jack Daniel's along with two glasses on the table. She looked at the bottle, then at Douglas before scoffing lightly. “What's this?” 

Douglas shrugged and leaned over the pool table, counting the balls with one finger as he said, “We were out of milkshake.” 

She snatched the bottle by the neck and looked it over. For a long moment she just sat there, bottle resting on her thigh as her mind seemed to drift away to distant seas. Douglas walked around the table, helped himself with a cue stick and took a shot. The balls clacked against one another, zipping across the bed before finding their resting places. On the opposite side of the table, Karen helped herself to a glass of Jack, her hand absentmindedly shook the glass around ever so slightly before gulping it down. Coughing and squinting her eyes, Karen poured herself another glass before scooting one over to Douglas. 

“Sure beats yet another sorry,” Karen said into her glass. “Douglas?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Please don't leave me.” 

He picked up his glass and sniffed the orange liquid before he raised it to a toast, “I won't Karen, I won't.”

 

* * *

 

Douglas sat with Karen resting her sleeping head in his lap, his fingers' tunneling gently through her short blonde hair. An empty bottle of Jack's could be spotted underneath the pool table and a trail of clothes led up to where Douglas sat. The phone in his hand kept on ringing and on the tenth ring did they pick up. “What's up dude?” Eddie sounded sleepy in the other end of the phone. 

“Hey man, me and- uh, Karen had a talk today about Power Girl,” Douglas spoke with a soft voice, mindful not to wake up Karen, “and we couldn't quite agree on something, so I was hoping you'd help a brother out.”  

“Yeah? Sure dude, just let me pause this movie,” Eddie rustled around in what sounded like the leather sofa in the living room before the ambient sounds fell silent. “So, what's the big deal?” 

“Okay, so here's the run down; say Power Girl goes off the rails for whatever reason. How do you stop her? Karen was under the impression that she could not be stopped at all, but what do you think?”  

“The hell? What are you and Ms. Starr doing talking about stuff like that for?” 

Douglas looked over at his glass resting on the edge of the pool table, still holding it’s liquid. “You'd be surprised what topics floats to the surface after a couple of glasses of Jack.” 

“Damn son, sometimes I wish my folks were that kinda chill,” Eddie said. “Well at any rate, Power Girl has a big arsenal of things she can and does throw around, so it's hard to take her down for sure. However, there are some weaknesses that the government have identified which can be exploited.” 

Eddie started with the psychology of Power Girl, how to turn her temper against her to lure her into a trap. Secondly, Power Girl is a brawler first and foremost, so even if she's angry and inside your trap, you don't want to be anywhere near her, since she'd punch and kick her way through just about anything. The trick of course is to get a scenario where Power Girl dishes out a ton of damage while at the same time tanks a ton of damage as well. Eddie's reasoning was that for all her powers, Power Girl had only a single power source and a finite energy storage. If you could get her to spend her energy faster than she could recharge, Power Girl would eventually run dry and be reduced to the strength and durability of a human for her size and build. 

“So you need to get her to somewhere you're not, get her so pissed that she can't think straight and hit her with everything you've got while tanking a berserk Power Girl?” 

“Yeah, that's ‘bout it.” 

Douglas ran his hand over his face and sighed. “Christ, it would be easier to just drop a nuke on her.” 

“Nah, she’d either see or hear it coming from a mile away and dodge it, plus the drug cartels have been trying to play this angle for years. Lots of guns and explosives, bunkers and even some surface to air missiles.” 

“They have? Well, why haven't they succeeded?” 

Eddie munched down on some snacks, talking with half a mouthful, “Guess they can't get in under her skin? As long as Power Girl keeps her cool and is disciplined with her powers, girl can keep on going 'til the cows come home.” 

Douglas felt Karen shifting a little in her sleep, so he traced some soft fingers over her cheek while he said, “Interesting, what about live capture?” 

“The hell? Why did you get the awesome stepmom? Hang on- let me just double-check,” Eddie put down the phone and shuffled around in the distance for a few minutes before he returned. “Here we go... So, a hypothesis put forward by some dude in the late '90's said that Power Girl has fear for small spaces and restricted movement.” 

Douglas looked around him, the big open leisure room, he thought about the manor in general and his eyes eventually landed on Karen's naked body by his side. “Whoa... I- I don't think that's a hypothesis Eddie.” 

“Uh-huh... Anyways, this is a lingering scar that she got from spending six decades in a space pod, the hypothesis say that even as an adult she is claustrophobic and is prone to panic attacks if her movement is somehow constrained.” 

“One last thing Eddie,” Douglas said as Karen’s arm folded around his waist like a thick snake, “I think I need to cash in on that Power Girl picture favor.” 

“Oh-kay, what do you have in mind?” Eddie sounded uneasy at the other end. 

“I need to borrow the keys to your cabin.” 

There was a pause, it seemed to drag on for an eternity and a half before Eddie finally spoke. “Doug, the hell is going on bro? You can talk to me, right?” 

“I- can I borrow the keys Eddie? Yes or no, it’s important.” 

“Sure dude, just… you’re not gonna like, shoot yourself or something out there right?” he said, his tone uncharacteristically concerned, worried even. 

“Nope, just need some place quiet. Me and Karen, we- we had a falling out.” 

“Over Power Girl trivia? Dude, you can totally crash at my place. Might not be a fancy manor, but hey… it’s a roof over your head.” 

 

* * *

 

“Doug? What are you doing here at this hour?” Kris stood in the doorway of her home, her face in a mix of puzzle and worry. “Holy shit, is that Ms. Starr’s car? Douglas, what the he-” 

“Kris, I really don’t have much time and I’m sorry, but I need you to do something very important.” 

“Doug, I can’t- my flight leaves in 2 hours, I got to get going I ca-” 

“I know, I know… Eddie told me you’re going back to Mexico,” Douglas reached for something in his back pocket and handed it to Kris, “just take this with you alright? And- and follow- I know this sounds crazy, but follow the instructions inside to the best of your ability. Oh and don’t- do not open it until you’re safe on the ground in Mexico, alright? Promise me Kris.” 

He looked at his watch; two hours until take off for Kris, five maybe five and a half hour flight that would leave him with seven or eight hours. It would be close, way too close for comfort, but as it stood right now Douglas had no other options open to him. Karen was a big girl and an alien, so he had no idea how long it would take for her to sleep off and sober up after nearly a full bottle of Jack Daniel’s. If he’d been a sleazy club goer, he might have had some sort of roofie drug to buy more time, or known someone who could hook him up. It was doubtful that Eddie had some or even knew people like that, and Douglas was acting weird enough as it was. Some meager comfort was that Karen had been drinking on an empty stomach and heavier stuff than just red wine. 

“Listen, I’ve gotta go Kris,” he started to jog back to the car, “do this for me Kris and I’ll owe you my life.” 

White knuckles clung to the steering wheel in a manner of life and death, Douglas’ face coated with sweat as his eyes flickered back and forth from the road up ahead and the speedometer down on the dashboard. If the police stopped him for speeding it would be all over, though with his shattered nerves it wasn’t easy to keep the car straight or a light foot on the gas pedal. He tried to take long, deep breaths through a tightly shaped O mouth, huffing and puffing slow, yet steadily. It didn’t really help all that much, his slow breath just acted as a reminder that his heart was going at supersonic speeds. 

Midway through Muldraugh, Douglas slammed on the breaks and turned a hard right, down Old Mill Road. A million things were buzzing around inside his head was bad enough, the nerve-wrecking experience of driving alone from something that could kick tanks around like little toys certainly didn’t help. With inferior skills he managed to pull the car over, killing the engine in the process. He clutched his hands in some obscure prayer as he paced back and forth, his blood boiling with excitement, worry and adrenaline. 

“Okay, calm down. You got this. Think… Kryptonian. Superior hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell compared to humans,” he mumbled and muttered to himself, “T-tunnel vision, I’ve got to give her tunnel vision. Th-that’s the key, so- how do I, of all people, put the fear of God into Power Girl?”


	11. Mea Culpa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned

A stray beam of midday sunlight jabbed at Karen’s eyes, prompting her to roll out of the sofa and land hard on the floor. With slow and sluggish movement, she somehow managed to crawl back into the sofa, clucking out loud while she looked around. The room felt like a giant ship, rolling from side to side on massive, lazy waves. She groaned in protest as her head started to throb whenever she moved it. When she realized she was in the nude, she fumbled around in a drowsy haze, collecting pieces of clothing scattered about the floor. 

“Patience is a virtue, eh?” she said to no one in particular as she picked up what looked like one third of the top she’d worn the day before. “Ah crap… we made a stain. Oh well…” 

She sighed and bundled the torn clothes together in a big messy ball when she suddenly froze. Something was not right, something was missing or rather someone was missing. Her eyes searched from left to right, her hearing strained enough to catch the sound of the fly buzzing around in the garage. Nothing. Karen tossed the bundled clothes aside and headed straight for Douglas’ room. It was empty. “Douglas? Where are yo-” she turned and saw the brick rock laying on the floor in Douglas’ reading room, surrounded by broken glass. 

A small second ticked by as Karen’s hung over brain connected the dots. Then, like a shell fired from a canon, Karen shot through the walls, cutting through the kitchen and hallway, heading straight for her wardrobe where she suited up before she went straight up through the ceiling. She hit supersonic not ten feet after she’d gotten clear of the roof, shaking and breaking just about every window in Dreadwood. Once up in the air she put her eyes to good use, combining x-ray and telescopic vision to cover all of Deadwood in less than a minute. Nothing. She screamed, a hollow cry of unchained wrath and despair. 

“I’ll kill ‘em! I’ll kill every la-” she stopped her rage dead in its tracks as her eye caught a small, yet vital detail; her car was missing. 

Power Girl landed hard in her own driveway, the ground shook as if hit by a mortar shell. She hunched down on all fours she sniffed around like a dog; gasoline, oil, rubber and Douglas. Did they arrive on foot, snatch him and the car? A curious crowd had started to form on the edges of her property, their eyes big as frying pans, clouded with worry. Power Girl didn’t give them the light of day, they would simply have to wait and stay out of her way. At least she had something now, a lead, something to look for. Find the damn car and you’ll be one step closer to Douglas, easy peasy lemon squeezy. 

Again she took to the skies and looked around. More than once she almost darted down, only to stop herself when she realized that particular car wasn’t hers. Seconds felt like hours and she’d already been out of it for, what? Nine, ten hours? Maybe even more, with her hang over she couldn’t tell. Stars above, Douglas could be in the ass end of Europe by now or stuffed inside a shipping container trekking across the pacific. Louisville; that would be the most logical place to take him if they wanted some distance between him and her fast. Even so, Power Girl couldn’t shake the feeling that whomever had done this wouldn’t do something that obvious. They’d want to hide him right under her nose while she wasted even more time flying all over the world. 

One last time she looked towards the south, Fort Knox and the Godman Army Air field. She seriously doubted it, but there was a faint chance that this was some stunt pulled by the brass with agent Reese in the lead. If that was the case, there would be hell to pay, presidential promises be damned. Just as her gaze was to turn towards Louisville she saw it, her car parked on the side of Old Mill Road. It wasn’t much, just a faint candle against the pitch black night, but it was something. Power Girl dived down and left a landing track twenty feet long in the dirt. 

An all too familiar smell tickled her nose and it sent a giant centipede of fear up and down her spine. Blood, there was no mistaking it. She looked over the car, air bags triggered and some broken glass with long stripes of blood smeared along the backseats. Power Girl felt her knees started to shake while her fingers dug into the car, bending and distorting the metal as if it was made of paper. Her eyes clotted with tears as she found herself shaking her head in disbelief. For all her strength, speed and what have you, she could not keep this one person safe. The rage started burning inside her. 

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” she grabbed on to the side of the car and hurled it away, sending it crashing into the trees, “NO!” 

Douglas’ sent was still there. She’d follow it, she’d follow it to the ends of the Earth and stars above have mercy on whomever she found at the end of the trail, because she would not give any quarter. The trail took Power Girl down along the Wilderness Camp Road for quite the stretch when it strayed from the road and disappeared into the woods. She kept on the trail, punching trees out of her way and kicking rocks asunder. The woods around her fell silent, not the quiet calm humans often find when surrounding themselves with nature. This was the dead silence of horror movies, how even Mother Nature held her breath as the monster trekked through the lands. 

Power Girl sighed, punching a young tree out of her way as she mumbled under her breath, “Yeah, yeah… everyone’s scared of the big, bad alien.” 

It was a small blessing in disguise though, all things considered. With even the tiny ants stopped dead in their tracks in fear of the extra-terrestrial, Power Girl could easier use her hearing to find clues. Aside from distant traffic and pointless chatter however, there was nothing that proved helpful in her search. After a while Power Girl noticed a change in the trail, another smell became more and more dominant. Vaseline, the realization made Power Girl ditch walking in favor of flying, showing no regard to whatever came in her way. 

“Clever little bastards,” she said when she found a discarded first aid kit and what smelled like Douglas’ clothes. “Cover his smell with Vaseline and a fresh batch of clothes.” 

She held his shirt tight and close to her face, her breathing escalating into hyperventilating territory. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Power Girl clung to the fabric, pulled at it while burying her face in it to muffle her own cries. As she fell to her knees, a hand frantically collected the remaining clothes and she hugged them close like a priceless treasure. Power Girl cried, loud and hard, biting into the clothes while rocking back and forth ever so gently. Abruptly she stopped, her cheeks wet with tears, as a thought crossed her mind. The cellphone she’d bought Douglas, where was it? Quickly she patted the clothes up and down, right and left. Nothing. With clothes still firmly in her arms, Power Girl took to the skies yet again. A faint shimmer of hope lighted up ahead, like a distant star. 

When she arrived back at Starr manor, it had now turned into quite the circus with police, fire department, press and a spectating crowd buzzing about. Like so many times before, people looked up and pointed when she made her decent. Cameras and microphones popped up into the air as well. Needless to say agent Reese was on the scene as well. Power Girl landed and ignored everyone as she headed straight for her office. Along the way a couple of police officers flinched to attention as she walked by. A lone firefighter was in her office, examining the hole in the floor and ceiling. Power Girl hissed her heat vision at him, enough for him to feel it on his skin without hurting him. He quickly left, practically tripping down the stairs. 

It didn’t take long before agent Reese joined her as she started typing away on her computer. “What the hell is going on?” he said, there was no mistaking that he was shaken to the core. 

Power Girl just barely glanced up from her screen as her only acknowledgement of his existence and resumed her work. She looked down on the floor, the irises in her eyes glowed brightly as she searched the entire manor for any trace of Douglas’ cellphone. Nothing. She looked over the garage as well for extra measure. Again nothing, though some of the chains used for the engine hoist were missing. Restraints for Douglas perhaps? In a desperate effort to get through to Power Girl, agent Reese grabbed the edge of her monitor and tried to shove it aside. With reflexes of a snapping rattlesnake, Power Girl’s hand locked around his wrist and stopped him dead in his tracks. 

“Not now,” she said, “I’ll deal with your lot later.” 

Her computer search came up with the search result. Douglas cellphone was in Mexico, in the middle of nowhere as far as she could tell. A sense of dread sank down in her gut at the size of a bowling ball. The cartels. Power Girl didn’t know how, when or why, but somehow they’d learned about Douglas, her identity and snatched him. Well if they wanted to play in the big leagues, which was fine by her, Power Girl would just have to humor them, now wouldn’t she? She walked past agent Reese without a word and flew off through the hole in the ceiling. Mexico, ready or not, Power Girl is coming your way.

 

* * *

 

When she’d worked together with the authorities, Power Girl had been the battering ram to punch through the cartel’s defenses. With the precision of a scalpel, she’d flown in and gone straight for their guns. It helped to look at it like a sport, the age old mantra of soccer for example. Go for the ball, not the player. Power Girl never learned how to fight, not properly at any rate. She was strong enough to punch through concrete and could get shot by tank shells and still be standing. The whole dodge, block, parry and creating openings was made redundant thanks to her powers. If anything, Power Girl had to learn how to hold back. If she didn’t and she hit someone, they’d explode like a water balloon filled with red water. 

Now though, she was flying solo. The authorities would just slow her down and she’d lost nearly half a day already. Power Girl had seen what the cartels did to people that crossed them. For this reason, above all else she ditched the scalpel in favor of the chainsaw, and holding back? The term was a sick joke at this point and she for one was not laughing. She felt the air friction on her knuckles flare up, the searing flames obscuring her view. No matter, she’d gone up and down this route enough to do so blindfolded. Looking down at the distant mountain tops, scattered lakes and thin rivers, Power Girl tried to think of which cartel was the most likely candidate for the kidnapping. She’d hit all the big ones equally hard, refusing to let one get ahead of the others. 

“Well that kinda sucks, now doesn’t it? Guess I’ll just have to knock on all the doors until someone gets me some answers.” 

Leaving all subtly at the border, Power Girl went straight for the cartel HQ, prying open the jaws of the beast. They didn’t exactly roll over and play dead, though it didn’t take long for them to realize that Power Girl wasn’t here to play. She didn’t go for the guns, she went for the limps holding them. It was a weird feeling, to pull joints apart or bend them in directions that weren’t natural. While it did send some of the cartel thugs running for the hills, others fell back and rearmed themselves with bigger guns. Buildings got toppled as she went deep into the basement, standing in front of a massive vault door. Power Girl vented her rage on it, punching and pummeling the door into submission with thugs shooting her in the back. 

When the vault door finally gave in and she tore it off its hinges, she threw it at her opponents with enough force to punch through the villa and leave the premises. Nothing. Well, the vault contained stacks of cash taller than herself, but no Douglas. It was a far-fetched hope that they’d put him in here where she would have a hard time both hearing and seeing him. After setting the money ablaze with her heat vision out of pure spite, Power Girl scanned the villa with her x-ray vision for more traces of Douglas. She found a small room that she could not see through, a panic room of sorts. 

“$50 that Mr. what’s-his-face is pissing his pants in there.” 

While the panic room wasn’t poorly made, it wasn’t nearly as secure as the main vault. Power Girl made short process of it, heating up the metal and punching through before prying out a gap big enough for her to walk through. True enough, the drug lord sat hunkered down in a corner, trembling like a little child. A thought occurred to Power Girl as she, with long angry strides, walked up and grabbed the drug lord. He might have been set up by some inspiring underling or some lieutenant had this brilliant idea and executed it without him knowing. Holding the man by the collar of his shirt, Power Girl walked back outside where his thugs waited guns ready. The drug lord screamed and cursed as his arm brushed against the red hot metal when he got hauled out of the panic room. 

“Where is he?!” she said, holding the drug lord up high between her and the thugs. 

“Who?!” 

Power Girl reached inside his mouth and pulled out a tooth. “Douglas! Douglas Sutherland! Where is Douglas?!” 

The drug lord spat at her face, a repulsive mix of blood and saliva. Power Girl’s palm folded around his hand and she squeezed. His face grew redder and redder, the receding hairline turned into the edge of a waterfall of sweat and when the first bone broke, he cried. She repeated her question thirty two times, each time a tooth came out. The thugs were apparently too shocked and scared to shoot, or maybe they did shoot. Power Girl wasn’t sure, she was so focused on the drug lord she didn’t notice.

 

* * *

 

Five cartel HQ’s later and Power Girl found herself on the run from the Mexican military. She wasn’t sure if it was because the government was genuinely worried about the safety of their citizen or if the remaining cartels pooled together enough cash to make it happen. By now she was scraping the bottom of the barrel of her energy reserves. Sun was setting and if she took any heavy hits now, she wouldn’t have enough juice to fly across the border. At least the hang over was clearing up, kinda. 

As Power Girl landed on a deserted road, she looked herself over. She sniffed at her shoulder and the smells of combat and death rolled over her, a sickening combination of sweat, blood and gunpowder. It was enough to make her stomach turn. Looking over her costume, it too had seen better days; her cape as littered with bullet holes, one glove dangled loosely around her wrist and she was hard pressed to find a white spot on her suit. Somewhere along the line she’d even lost her belt. Power Girl looked and smelled like a piece of shit and she felt like one to, a big pile of fresh shit. 

It was not without reason that she’d chosen this particular stretch of road to land however. These were the coordinates for Douglas’ phone. The idea that the cartel were hurting her Douglas had made her forget all about the phone and instead rushed straight into a series of pointless fights. Hindsight is indeed 20/20. After some long minutes of searching, she found it by the wayside still going strong. Power Girl took a seat at the edge of the road and pulled her knees close to her chest. For a long, long time she just sat there, looking up at the sky. The sun faded past the horizon, leaving only a thin line of orange that changed into purple before being swallowed by the dark blue of the night sky. 

“So, what do you have for me, huh?” she sniffed and started browsing through the phone. 

There wasn’t much, Douglas wasn’t exactly the most tech savvy kid she’d known. Everything was on default, except the battery settings. No pictures, no logs, no videos – just one unread text message from a strange, unknown number. Power Girl struggled to keep her eyes from falling asleep, going all out with a hangover was definitely catching up to her. She should probably just fly low, stay below the radar and hunker down somewhere just across the border. It was unlikely at this point, but she could carry on the search tomorrow. If nothing else, she hoped she’d at least find a body to bury. Now there’s a cheerful thought. 

She tapped the message and just looked at it, her dead tired mind needed a good minute to reboot and scramble all men on deck. Numbers, GPS coordinates and a ‘best regards, Douglas.’ The phone broke in her hand, shards of glass and metal shot off in random directions. She’d been played and she’d been played well. Led around by the nose by a goddamn high schooler. Oh even those dead cartel thugs would be pissing their pants when they heard what Douglas went through after she got her hands that little shit. The coordinates pointed to somewhere just east of the Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area, all the way back at good ol’ Kentucky USA. It didn’t matter, nothing did at this point. She’d give him a piece of her mind and then some. Right now.

 

* * *

 

Her landing was everything but graceful. Power Girl ran out of juice, or at least she was so low she could no longer sustain her flight and found herself tumbling through branches, trees and rocks. Pulling herself up, she groaned and spat curses left and right. Even her invulnerability was wearing off if her aching muscles and strained joints were any indication. Regardless, Power Girl pressed on as soon as she got her bearings. The lonely cabin came into view as she staggered and fumbled across the uneven moss covered ground. 

Power Girl strained her eyes and ears. Nothing. No one was inside the cabin, just vague outlines of nails, an old fire stove made of lead and an axe. She sniffed and looked around, calming her ragged breath. The tall silhouettes of dark trees stabbed upwards at the night sky, distant stars shimmered cold and bright. This was it, wasn't it? This was the place, right around here. Another step along the way before Douglas would send her to Italy or wherever? She laughed a sad laugh, covering her mouth when she realized the despair in her voice. Goose chase, she was on a wild goose chase. 

She was about to call it quits, tuck in for the night and just deal with all the mess she'd left behind tomorrow, when she spotted something. A storm cellar. Power Girl grabbed the handle on the door and pulled. It didn't budge, apparently locked from the inside. She put more effort into it, but it was no use. Without her super strength, she was not in any position to pry these doors open. Either Douglas was down there or his next clue would be down there. 

A thought finally surfaced in her tired mind. She'd spotted an axe inside the cabin. Power Girl headed over and pulled off her cape. Tumbling it around her hand like a crude and improvised boxing glove, she punched through one of the windows. Inside she found the axe and left out the door. Halfway through towards the storm cellar, Power Girl stopped and looked back at the cabin. 

“The door was open the whole time?” she shook her head and sighed. “Put it on the tab I suppose, put it on the tab.” 

With axe in both hands she took a swing and planted the blade firmly into the wooden door. Hard, heavy work considering how tried she was. Her shoulders ached with every swing and the axe's handle wasn't kind to her hands either. Power Girl found some comfort that she wasn't in any rush. If Douglas was down there, they'd talk or rather she'd talk and he'd do a whole lot of listening. If that wasn't the case, well at least she had a place to sleep until daytime creeped over the horizon. 

After about half a dozen chops at the door, she'd managed to make a gap large enough for her to put her hand through and hopefully reach the lock on the inside. She fumbled with the lock, venting hoarse groans of frustration as it refused to cooperate. The wooden splinters stabbed into her skin, drawing blood. Now that's a sight you don't see every day. Another frustrating minute ticked by before the lock finally cracked aside and Power Girl could swing open the door. The inside of the storm cellar was for all sense and purposes pitch black, what little light the night offered did not reach this far. 

There was a tiny source of light, like something akin to a flashlight was turned upside down and only small streaks of light escaped along the uneven dirt floor. Just as Power Girl hunched down on one knee to pick it up, something hit her across her back. It was hard, heavy and clunky like a chain. She staggered around and caught a blurry glimpse of Douglas, metal chains in his hands. He hit her again and again until she faltered on the ground, covering her head with her arms.

 

* * *

 

Douglas looked down at Power Girl, beaten and crawling along the floor. He didn't have much time and although he'd run this over in his head dozens of times already, his hands were shaking and he felt his legs freezing up. With a grunt he inched closer to her with one more step until he stood over her. He reached down and wrapped the chains around her waist, under her arms a few times. She protested, squirmed around and kicked her legs. Even when he put his whole weight down on her, she still managed to almost break free a couple of times. Finally Douglas managed to get the chains around her arms a few times and coiled the remaining length around her legs before closing the loop with a padlock. 

“I'm sorry Karen, I'm so sorry,” he said, gasping for air as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, “but- uh, you'll- you'll just have to put up with it for a little while, okay?” 

He fumbled around in his pockets and found a box of matches. Power Girl pulled and strained her restraints, grunts and cries intermixed into a bone chilling song. Douglas struck a match and lit an old oil lamp that hung in the ceiling before he came around and pocketed the cell phone that laid on the floor. Her eyes grew wild and wide as she saw the dark, sharp shadows dance and scrape against the walls of the cellar. With a firm hand he pulled at the chain, rolling Power Girl over so that they were face to face. Her tear smeared face, dirty and tired made Douglas pause. The fear in her eyes, her rapid, shallow breaths stabbed at his heart like a thousand hot needles. 

“I gave you all a woman could give you. Made sure I found the time, to keep it all together, but the way you're treating me isn’t right. Why are you treating me this way?! Do you enjoy to see our love fade away?!” her words came out with a fearful resentment before she collapsed back down, whimpering out one last plea. “Can't face the world without you, can't even sleep at night. Gave you all that I treasured and I tried to love you with all my might. And I know you'll miss me when all is said and done. You'll think about this day and then you'll realize I was the one.” 

Douglas looked away, unable to face the pleas and judgment of her eyes. “I command you. Hain Lon Hilay Sabaoth Helim Radisha… Ledieha Adonai Jehova Jah Tetragrammaton Sadai… Mesias,” his voice was shaking, yet commanding as he read the words from a crumpled post-it note. He placed one bandaged hand over her mouth and their eyes locked as he said, “El Elohim… Elohi Elohei Sabaoth Elion Sadai… Ehyeh Asher… Ehyeh Adonai… Jah Sadai… Tetragrammaton Sadai… Aigoso O Theos Ischiros Athanaton… Agla Amen…!” 

A sharp sting hit his hand, like a strong spark of static electricity. Douglas jerked it back and rubbed the palm of his hand just as a sudden gust of wind washed into the cellar, blowing out the lamp. Save the creaking sound of the oil lap swaying back and forth, the room was silent as the grave. Douglas struck a new match and relit the lamp before he checked on Karen. Her breathing was steady and calm, checking for pulse proved fruitless because Douglas was unsure where to check, both on humans and kryptonians. Still as far as he could tell, she was just asleep. 

“Did I do it...?” he said to himself with a low voice, his fingers stroking aside her blonde hair. 

Opening an old chest, Douglas pulled out a couple of sleeping bags and some pillows. He tried to drag Karen over, but she proved to weigh a ton and simply would not budge. As a compromise, he put the pillow under her head and folded the sleeping back over her as best he could. Taking his place by her side, he looked up at the ceiling for a long time, hoping to simply fall asleep. When that proved fruitless, Douglas turned over and placed his arm over Karen, pulling himself close. He looked at the key to the padlock, rolling it between his fingers. After listening to her calm breathing for the longest time, sleep finally found him.

 

* * *

 

It was just before noon when Douglas woke up, drowsy and with a pain in the neck that suggested he'd slept at an odd angle for too long. By his side, Karen was still sound asleep with a classy line of drool that went from the corner of her mouth to the pillow below. Groaning a little before holding back a yawn, Douglas shook Karen's shoulder a little in an effort to wake her up. No response, she was about a galaxy away by the sound of her snoring. He patted her cheeks lightly and even pulled her nose, but got no response. 

Douglas sighed and shook his head. “Cold water it is then,” he said. 

While not ice cold fresh from the fridge, the bottled water did wake her up. She spluttered and kicked around, her vibrant blue eyes blinked out the water and found Douglas. He took a small step back, clutching the bottle close and gave her a meek little wave along with a sheepish smile. One second ticked by, then another and suddenly Karen sprung to life; wiggling, struggling and pulling against her chains. Like a fish out of water, she hobbled and bumped around the floor, kicking the sleeping bag aside while her grunts and panted breath started to slide into whimpers and cries. 

Douglas stepped up and pulled her into his arms, hugging her and holding her tight. “It's okay Karen, it's okay...” his bandaged hand found the back of her head, patting it gently. 

“You hit me,” the words had all the tones of a childish pout. 

“Yea-” 

Karen buried her face into his shoulder. “You even tied me up.” 

Douglas sighed, looking up at the oil lamp in the ceiling. “Guilty as charged. So, are- are you okay now? Like, normal?” 

“I stink of sweat, blood and combat, I've trekked from Kentucky to Mexico and back, done all sorts of nasty, brutal things to bad people. No, I'm not okay,” she said. 

Douglas smiled and fished out the key from his pocket. “I take that as a yes.” 

Leaving the storm cellar, Karen stood in the bright sunlight with a calm smile on her face while Douglas fixed some simple breakfast on the stove in the cabin. Some warm porridge and a couple of cups of coffee was perhaps not a feast for kings and queens, but at least it was something. For all the things she'd been through, there was nothing wrong with her apatite. There was a brief moment that Douglas was worried she might eat the bowl and the spoon when he saw how quickly she wolfed it down. 

“So, how'd you do it?” 

Douglas looked up from his coffee cup, “Do what?” 

“Your grand plan. It was impressive all things considered, I'll give you that much,” she said while giving him a sideways glance. “Some real Breaking Bad stuff. Heisenberg would be proud.” 

“I- uh... asked Eddie for some tips and, well... took a lot of gambles along the way. It felt like a million things could go wrong, I was a wreck,” he said, cupping the coffee cup. He was not used to the taste of coffee yet and it showed on his face whenever he took a sip. “I gave my cellphone to Kris, turned off inside an envelope along with instructions to turn it on and dump it somewhere remote in Mexico. From there I, uh- went shopping. Which reminds me.” 

He pulled out his wallet and handed over a credit card to Karen. Her eyes were narrow as she snatched it with a quick flick of her wrist. “I saw your pin code when we shopped for watermelons. Guess the only reason why I remembered it was because you beat that guy in the parking lot. Uhm, anyway... Faking a kidnapping was, well terrifying to be honest. If you'd woken up when I threw that brick through the window it would have been all over. Sorry about that, by the way.” 

Karen leaned back on her arms, “Oh, a broken window is the least of your worries Douglas.” 

“Figures,” he nodded before taking a small sip from his cup. “Well, I took the car and drove off. I'd already cashed in a favor from Eddie, so I could use his dad's cabin. My only chance to get the best of you would be to play on your fears, gambling that it would give you a tunnel vision so you wouldn't look for other options, you'd take the shortest route.” 

“You remembered my commitment against the drug cartels as well as their reputation for brutal nature,” Karen said, nodding to herself. She scoffed lightly. 

“Yeah...” Douglas looked around, the winds ruffled the trees in a gentle dance. “I broke the car window, and triggered the airbag by mistake, used a shard of glass to cut myself. The implication that I was hurt would make you worry sick, at least that was the intent. Plus, I needed blood for the spell to work. Since I don't have access to a metric ton of guns or explosives, I gambled that you'd rush to the cartels and you two would duke it out.” 

“Oh, you have noooooooo idea,” she said into her cup, scooping up the last of her coffee. “The Vaseline and clothes?” 

“Dumb luck,” he let out a light chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief at his own fortune. “When I bought sleeping bags, food, padlock, and a pre-paid phone, the store manager thought I was running away from home and gave me a few tips on how to avoid the bloodhounds the cops would no doubt send after me. It never even crossed my mind to consider my sent trail.” 

“And you used your pre-paid phone to send a text to yourself, that I'd see when I found it.” 

He looked at his bandaged hand, turning his wrist around. “Snatched the GPS in your car to get the coordinates. Sorry about that. I'm sorry about a lot of things now that I think about it. Anyway, I hid in the storm cellar, hoping the dirt would make me harder to spot even with your x-ray vision.” 

“But you hit me from behind,” Karen reminded him. 

“Yeah... I was going to ambush you down there, but it'd be pointless if you'd still have some power in reserve. I needed somehow to gauge if it was worth it or if I should just surrender.” Douglas lifted up one foot, the laces on his shoe was missing. “Managed to close the doors from the outside after about an hour of fiddling around, then I hid behind the stove. Figured even with x-ray you wouldn't be able to see through it, but of course you could have spotted me through the roof or if you'd come in from another angle.” 

“Ah, that's why the cabin was unlocked.” 

“Pretty much, I almost shit myself when you broke through the window. Like straight from a horror movie.”

 Karen smiled and put her cup aside. “Yeah? Maybe I should invest in a hockey mask.” 

The conversation died down. She rested on her side, supporting her weight on her elbow while her fingers fiddled with the grass. Peace and quiet, a welcome change from the hectic times of yesterday. Douglas waited, there was no shortage of things unsaid between the two of them. He was uncertain of how to approach it, how to phrase himself so Karen would understand. Hopefully things would be easier now that she was, well, normal again. This time around she wouldn't evade the topic, together they'd set the record straight. Hopefully. 

“Karen?” she turned and looked him in the eyes, her face curious. “I'm sorry. About everything.” 

She sighed and flicked a small pebble away. “Things could have gone worse, but not by much. You didn't cast that... spell or whatever, on me on purpose, did you?” 

Douglas straightened up and cleared his throat. “No ma'am, that was an accident and completely unintentional. It was more like a charm than a spell actually.” 

“And when you found out about it, you didn't try to take advantage of it either,” she said while scratching her cheek absentmindedly. 

“Yes ma'am, I tried to figure out how to undo it as soon as I could.” 

“Alright,” she rose to her feet, dusting off her suit a little, “I suppose we should get going. Back to the real world.” 

Douglas fumbled as he got to his feet, a confused expression on his face. “Ah, you're not mad or anything? I thought-” 

“Douglas,” she said, putting one hand on his shoulder, “you did the right thing. Had you cast that charm on me with the intent of turning me into some glorified fucktoy, it'd be a different story. Had you changed your attitude, milk it for all it was worth, once you learned I was under that charm's influence, it'd be a different story. You did neither.” 

“Yeah, but-” he started, though Karen put a finger on his lips. 

She smiled a soft and tender smile. “I wasn't trapped inside some mind prison Douglas. The spell just- amplified things in my mind, in my heart. Things I'd made peace with years ago. It was all me, all the time.” 

“But,” Douglas took her hand in both of his, “was it real? What we had?” 

Karen sighed and her face turned sad, almost on the verge of tears. “No, not like that.” 

A wind rushed through the trees and she turned her back on him, walking away with slow steps. Douglas felt his eyes burn as a ball of emotions started to swell in the back of his throat. Through the long hours when he'd waited for Power Girl to make her way to the cabin, the thought had occurred to him. That what he and Karen had together was built on a false foundation, a foundation that would crumble and fall once the charm got undone. A poetic justice perhaps, that this would be his punishment for artificially creating love, unintentional or not. 

He ran past her, disappearing inside the cabin. Karen stopped and looked after him, letting out a sigh heavy enough to send her soul off to the other side. Inside the cabin, Douglas started packing his things. His face was beet red, tears trekked down his cheeks and despite the sobs wreaking havoc on his breathing, Douglas' hands moved with sharp and hard intent. When his hand found the grimoire, he paused. A hand gently touched his shoulder and he looked up at Karen. Somehow he knew, from the look on her face or the color of her eyes, she understood. 

“...why not?” the words barely came out past Douglas' lips. 

“First thing that comes to mind is the age of consent,” her voice too was struggling to hold back the tears, “and then there's the difference in our age. I'm 57 years old Douglas, stuck in a 28 year old body. You're 16, both in mind and body. Then- then there's our history.” 

She reached down and pulled the book from him. Douglas' sobs got louder as he said, “But I did nothing wrong...” 

“I know, I know...” Karen glared at the book, the smell of burned paper started to fill the room as she tossed the book inside the stove, closing the door shut. “I'll support you financially of course, so you don-” 

Douglas spun around, locking his arms around her waist and hugging her with all his might. “It's not about the money! It never was!” 

“Douglas,” Karen's voice was soft and tender, while her hands were gentle, yet strong as they pulled his arms away. She kneeled down and cupped his face in her hands as she said, “I can't- I'm not your mother. I- I don't love you Douglas, not as a lover, not as a mother. That wasn’t real.” 

“Can- can't you learn to love me,” his eyes blinked behind his glasses, a fat tear ran down his cheek, “the way I learned to love you?” 

“Oh Douglas, sweet, sweet Douglas,” Karen rested her forehead against his, “we can't. We can't go back to where we once were because it was never real. I know you're hurting right now. I really do. I've been there Douglas, plenty of times. You'll pull through this, I know you will.” 

She took his hands, pulled him back up on his feet and swiped away his tears. Lifting him in her arms, Karen held him gently as a priceless treasure and walked outside into the sun before taking to the air. They glided through the air, high above the towns below them, only the occasional white puffy cloud obscuring their view. Douglas pulled himself closer, not out fear that he'd fall, but from knowing that Karen would soon be out of his life, reduced to a distant star he could no longer reach. They landed just outside Douglas’ childhood home, a landing soft as a feather. 

“I still don’t understand, Karen,” Douglas said, shifting his backpack on his shoulder, “why we can’t… be.” 

Karen sighed and looked up at the sky for a long moment. “A number of reasons Douglas. When you led me by the nose, I did some bad things. Really bad. Don’t think I’ll be there for you when I face the consequences of my actions,” she looked at him for a while, as if saying goodbye. “You deserve better Douglas, something true, honest and real.” 

“And we can’t have that? Start fresh?” 

“No, not right out the gate,” Karen took a step, a hand reached out as if she wanted to touch him, before she stopped herself. “I suppose the answer to ‘why not’ would be me. When I look at you… I feel- it’s- I’m conflicted. You did right by me, but what we had was nevertheless wrong or at the very least build on the wrong foundation. I don’t know. Guess I’ll need time to sort this out in my head. Thought I’d seen and heard it all. Apparently not.” 

“What if I wait?” 

Karen let out a light chuckle, the first trace of laughter in a long time. “You shouldn’t put your life on pause on my account. Live, love and laugh Douglas. Please?” 

“Will I see you again someday?” 

Karen took to the air, a slow and steady ascent. There was a mournful look on her face, even though her lips showed hints of a smile. She drew a deep breath and held it before she said, “…someday…” and then she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made it! Wrote my very first smut to completion. Alright, interwebz high-five to me. Wow, what a journey. What started as a silly little idea that was never meant to see the light of day, really grew up to be something else. It's rough around the edges, I'll admit and not just in the typos/grammar department. At some point I'd like to revisit it and do a revised edition, but for now I'm done, both with this story and smut in general.
> 
> At any rate, I shouldn't ramble. A big thanks to all you 142 (in the time of this writing) peepz that dropped me a kudos. A massive thank you to commenters - it's always nice to hear from fans or just confirmation that I even have fans. And of course a special thank you to the odd, yet lovable gang over at the fanfiction subreddit (reddit.com/r/fanfiction). 
> 
> So, onward to the next project! Bye, bye! :D


End file.
